


Written in the Stars

by Anonymous



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Age Difference, Getting Together, HP ScarryFest 2021, Infidelity, Jealousy, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Compliant, cross generation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-20 23:40:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 28,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30012732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Harry Potter had never noticed Scorpius Malfoy as more than a relatively good student in Defense Against the Dark Arts and friend of his son. After graduation, Scorpius left for America and Harry didn't think of him. Until Scorpius came back, grown up, gorgeous, and engaged.
Relationships: Scorpius Malfoy/Harry Potter
Comments: 3
Kudos: 6
Collections: HP ScarryFest 2020-2021





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Avi for the beta!
> 
> For Scarry Fest 2021. ♥ Prompt: Professor Potter works as DADA at Hogwarts. who hardly ever leaves the school to go home to a wife who is hardly ever home. Scorpius needs extra help with defense to pass his N.E.W.T.S. The two become close during this time, and then Scorpius leaves for America once he passes with flying colors, leaving Harry without him (Harry not realizing the impact the younger Malfoy made on his life during that short life). Five years later, Scorpius returns, older and more vibrantly himself than ever. Also engaged to a 'lovely' American lad he brings back with him.
> 
> Not Cursed Child compliant. As per the prompt, while Harry and Scorpius don't begin a relationship until Scorpius is in his 20s, Harry was his professor so there is probably an unhealthy power imbalance (and it does include some flashback scenes to those years).

_2029._

It was never quite easy to go to the Burrow to spend time with the Weasleys. There wasn’t a lot that Harry regretted about his marriage to Ginny but his relationship with the family was a big one. He was still invited to all of the family events, holidays, special occasions, and they were all still as nice as they’d ever been but Harry couldn’t help but feel like he’d taken advantage of their kindness. It felt like they were a family who’d taken him in when he had none. Then he’d married their daughter and divorced her.

Not that it had been all him but it was hard to remember that when he was standing sipping lemonade in the kitchen as they celebrated Lily getting a job at St. Mungo’s. It was exciting but also felt like the occasion was reminding him of how much his life had already passed him by. His youngest daughter was working as a Healer and Harry was still going to Hogwarts every year.

The smile on his lips was rather bitter as he took another sip, glancing up when he heard footsteps and trying to compose his expression. It didn’t matter. His ex-wife still could recognize his expressions and she stilled when she saw the kitchen wasn’t empty.

Then Ginny continued on to grab another sausage roll, not letting that stop her. Harry almost smiled, gratified to see she hadn’t changed since they’d been in school together.

“I see Roger’s getting along with the family,” Harry said, glad that his voice didn’t shake as he spoke of Ginny’s new boyfriend. Roger Davies had felt like a revenge boyfriend at first and maybe he had been but he and Ginny got along well. Harry could respect it.

Ginny looked over at him, as if trying to attribute malice to his tone but Harry was happy for her. He wanted her to be happy, even if it wasn’t with him. Even if it couldn’t be with him. When she seemed to realize he was being genuine, she nodded, leaning her hip against the counter. “He does. He has a lot in common with a lot of my brothers. Quidditch. Chess. Dated Fleur.”

Harry let out a startled laugh, shaking his head as he saw the mischievous smile on her lips. “The important things.”

They fell silent then, almost comfortable as Harry sipped his lemonade and Ginny munched on her sausage roll, avoiding each other’s eyes.

“We did okay, didn’t we?”

Harry looked over at his ex, seeing Ginny facing the window, undoubtedly watching the celebration that was going on. It was a little too cold still to have the party outdoors but even after being magically expanded a few more times, the Burrow just didn’t comfortably fit the entire family. It was so much easier to accommodate them all outside and the little ones enjoyed running around. “Hmm?”

“With our kids,” Ginny clarified, seeing the confusion on Harry’s features. She shrugged her shoulders, grabbing another roll and picking apart the pastry. “The three of them, they’re happy. They know we love them. It could be worse.”

Harry took a few steps forward until he could look out, seeing children running around, James and George with their wands out as they levitated water balloons in the air. Albus was holding Victoire and Teddy’s youngest up into the air above his head as she giggled and waved her fists and Lily just stood to the side, laughing with Audrey. He nodded, grateful at least that they would always have this large family who all loved them unconditionally.

“We did,” Harry agreed and he meant it. Their kids were good, loved, content. They hadn’t known hardship the way Harry, Ginny, the rest of them had. Harry hoped they would never know war the way they had.

Another moment of silence as Harry saw Albus look up, catch their eye in the window, hand off Eloise to her mother and walk towards the Burrow. Harry and Ginny both pasted happier expressions on their faces, used to faking it for their kids, and looked up at him.

“What are you two doing in here?” Albus asked as he glanced between them for a moment before moving to grab a sausage roll as well. Ginny handed him a napkin as the pastry flaked all over his shirt.

Albus wrinkled his nose, holding onto the napkin without using it and taking another bite.

“Talking about you kids,” Ginny said, grabbing another napkin instead to begin wiping the crumbs off the front of his shirt. She ignored the way he tried to brush her away, giving him a little glare that had him dropping his hands to the side. “How successful the three of you are. How grateful we are that none of you went out of the country like so many other kids did.”

“We’re not kids anymore, Mum,” Albus responded, leaning in to kiss her cheek when she finally moved back from her fussing over him. He took a few steps away from her before grabbing another sausage roll. “Although, oh, have I mentioned? Scorpius is coming back in a few days. We’ve been sending owls back and forth but it hasn’t been the same. He says he has big news.”

Ginny smiled, reaching up to brush a few more crumbs off of the front of Albus’ shirt, shaking her head at the mess he was consistently making. “You’ll have to tell us all about it.”

Harry watched them, thinking about the boy who had been best friends with Albus through school, his mind drifting back to that five years ago.

_2024._

Harry said goodbye to each of the students as they left, reminding those who hadn’t turned in essays yet and wishing luck to the students with Quidditch games that night. Scorpius watched him, chewing on his lower lip as he tried to keep the look of affection off his face. The older man had only been at Hogwarts for two school years but he’d made a reputation for himself as a professor that cared. People were less likely to come to him to ask for an autograph and more likely to come for advice nowadays.

It made Scorpius happy since he knew how much Harry wanted that. He’d been in fifth year when Harry had started and he’d watched the crowds of people enthralled with a famous instructor. It hadn’t phased him considering how many famous people he’d been around in his childhood, including Harry’s wife and friends. He, Albus, and Rose were close, considering they were all in the same house, and spent various holidays with each other’s families. Not that that tended to include Harry often.

Harry seemed to avoid his wife as much as humanly possible. When he was around the kids, Ginny wasn’t.

Scorpius knew he shouldn’t care about that. Albus didn’t let it bother him and once Scorpius graduated, he’d be going out of the country, make a name for himself away from the legacy of the Malfoys. He just needed to get a good grade on his NEWTs. And that involved getting help from his professor.

“I haven’t started my Astronomy essay. Do you want to come to the library and help me?” Albus asked, nudging Scorpius as he pulled his bag over his shoulder.

“I finished that last week,” Scorpius responded easily, already knowing that Albus knew that. It was likely why he was asking if Scorpius wanted to go with him to the library. “I have my studying with your dad, though, remember?”

Albus groaned, throwing his head back dramatically. “Fine. I’ll go ask Rose if she’s done. She’ll help me study.”

Rolling his eyes, Scorpius spared his best friend a glance. “You _are_ in Ravenclaw, you know.”

Albus shrugged, obviously unconcerned as he gave Scorpius a wave. “That’s why I’m thinking logically about this. More time for other homework if I have Rose help me write my essay.”

Scorpius just grinned, waving back as Albus headed out of the classroom. Harry gave him a wave as he left and then turned to Scorpius.

“You’re still free, right?” Scorpius asked, finally standing up from the desk and walking towards the front, leaning against it. He’d done a lot over the last few months to get Harry’s attention but he’d come to realize that Harry was never going to see him that way. It wasn’t really a surprise. He was sure anybody would have told him that. Harry was a professional, his friend’s father, and a war hero. There was no reason for him to even look at Scorpius twice.

It didn’t mean that it wasn’t rather disappointing for the student. Harry was gorgeous, kind, funny, a bit of a mess sometimes but it just made him more endearing. Scorpius had crushes before but it had been nothing compared to the way he felt for Harry. It didn’t bode well for Scorpius’ future and he knew it.

“Of course. Every Tuesday,” Harry said with a nod and it made something warm fill Scorpius even as he knew it was just Harry being a good professor. “Have you been practicing a nonverbal Imperturbable Charm in your spare time like I’ve said you should?”

Scorpius nodded, trying not to look like he was observing Harry too closely but he couldn’t help it. There was something in Harry’s eyes, something that had been eroding the brightness in his eyes for the past few months. Scorpius couldn’t help but think it had something to do with his marriage, with the fact that they were never around each other. It was none of his business – he knew that. It didn’t mean he didn’t want to know about him.

“Of course. You should’ve seen Albus bounce off it when I used the charm on the curtains around his bed,” Scorpius said with a grin, a tired smile making its way onto Harry’s features. At least it was a smile, even if it seemed to be forced.

“Late night antics with my housemates was one of my favorite parts of Hogwarts,” Harry said, something wistful on his features. Scorpius wanted to reach out, had to press his fingertips into the wood of his desk to avoid it.

“I imagine that the Gryffindor house has different ideas of ‘antics’ than the Ravenclaw house but sure,” Scorpius teased, clearing his throat as he straightened up a little. As much as he’d like to flirt for a while, he really did have to get to studying his defense against the dark arts. Harry was a dream, a crush, something that Scorpius knew would never become anything. This was his life. And while Scorpius still wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted to do, he knew he had to get good grades so he had options.

Harry seemed to be fine with returning to business, moving to stand next to his desk taking a deep breath. “Let’s see, then.”

Because even when Harry was distracted with everything, he was still a caring professor and Scorpius smiled at him. Getting an O on his NEWT would be worth it.

_2029._

Harry raised his eyebrow as he waited for his son to open the door to his flat, a pile of boxes next to him. He’d been slowly going through different rooms in his home lately, trying to decide if he wanted to downsize now that the last of his children had a solid job and was unlikely to move back in or try to make it feel more like home. He was waiting to decide once he’d gone through everything.

The front door opened after a few moments, Albus looking thrilled when he saw the pile of boxes next to Harry. “Dad! Uncle Ron was just telling me about a stack of action figures he thinks I lost. I wonder if they’re in these boxes.”

“Only one way to find out,” Harry told him, stepping into the flat when Albus held open the door for him. He was surprised to find that the living room wasn’t empty, recognizing several of his former students lounging. “You’re having a party?”

“Celebrating Scorp being back in town. Remember I told you he was coming back? Just got in last night,” Albus said as Harry levitated the boxes towards the hallway. Hearing Scorpius’ name, he looked around, surprised he hadn’t seen him but then he realized he had.

He just hadn’t recognized the boy because he wasn’t one anymore. Scorpius Malfoy had grown into a gorgeous man, silvery hair loosely curling over his forehead, high cheekbones, and a mischievous smile that reflected in his grey eyes. Although he resembled his father, it wasn’t enough for Harry to be turned away. There was enough of his mother in his appearance, enough of just himself. He was still the bright, glowing Ravenclaw who had asked for extra lessons to ensure he got an O on his Defense Against the Dark Arts NEWT but fully grown now.

Harry shook himself, realizing he and Scorpius were simply staring at each other and he cleared his throat. Being caught checking out Scorpius was the last thing he wanted. “Welcome back, Scorpius. I hope America was everything you dreamed of,” Harry said, surprised to feel his heart pang a bit over the smile that seemed to take over Scorpius’ features. He hadn’t even realized how much that smile had come to mean to him over those weekly tutoring sessions that had continued even after Scorpius was sure he’d get highest marks.

“It must’ve been since part of the reason for this party is Scorpius announcing that he’s engaged,” Albus said with a grin as Rose grabbed Scorpius’ left wrist to shake his hand, showing off the ring on his finger.

Harry nodded, blinking a few times because oh. So not only was he lusting after his son’s friend, somebody much too young for him, somebody he had taught in school, but he was engaged. Damn.

“This is Ryan Fisher, my fiancé. We met in Los Angeles, at a Muggle observatory,” Scorpius said, gesturing to the man sitting on his other side, holding his right hand. Harry had been so captivated by Scorpius’ looks that he hadn’t even noticed but now that he was looking at Scorpius’ fiancé, he could see why Scorpius had gone for the man. He was tall, blond hair, blue eyes, muscular. He reminded Harry of a typical American surfer, the kind he might see on television.

“Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Potter,” Ryan said, standing up from the couch to shake Harry’s hand.

When he was close enough, Harry recognized it. _That_ look. The dreaded starstruck look. Back in the early days of his marriage, it had always amused Ginny. Eventually it had become more of an annoyance than something to be joked about. Now, it never failed to exasperate Harry, especially this moment since Scorpius seemed to notice the look from his spot on the couch, Rose’s hand still wrapped around his wrist.

“Nice to meet you,” Harry responded, pulling his hand away and glancing over at Albus. His son gave him a roll of his eyes when their eyes met, obviously having seen it as well. “I’m going to get these boxes into your guest room.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Albus said as Ryan went back to his seat, still unable to look away from Harry.

Harry, for his part, didn’t look back, not wanting to have to make eye contact with Ryan again. He may be conventionally attractive but Harry couldn’t stop thinking of Scorpius right now. That was probably why he was so distracted, grabbing the top box to carry down the hallway into Albus’ room. He continued that twice more before somebody joined him in the bedroom, the rest of the boxes levitating behind.

“You were certainly doing this the hard way,” Scorpius said, an amused tone to his voice as he gave his wand a fancy twirl and the boxes, including the ones Harry had brought in, stacked themselves against the wall.

While he could’ve made an excuse, Harry just grinned, realizing he had simply forgotten magic for a moment, so caught up in his thoughts. “Sometimes it’s nice to do things the Muggle way,” Harry said which wasn’t necessarily a lie. “A little physical labor never hurt anybody.”

Scorpius shrugged. “I’m not really a fan of physical labor myself. But I suppose I see your point of doing things the Muggle way. Ryan’s mum is a Muggle and they live almost completely as Muggles. It was interesting, to say the least.”

Harry nodded, shoving his hands into his pants pockets as he stared at Scorpius and tried not to. It had taken him a few years before he’d admitted to himself and to those around him that he was attracted to men as well but he had a feeling if he’d seen this Scorpius as a teenager, he’d have known back then. “Can you still do wandless magic after spending so much time with Muggles?”

“I’m offended you should even ask, Professor Potter. I’ve only gotten better,” Scorpius responded, a cheerful smile on his lips as he glanced over at Albus’ nightstand. The candle flame burst to life and Scorpius shrugged, the cheerful smile turning to one of cheekiness instead.

“You don’t need to call me Professor Potter anymore. Harry will do. You haven’t been a student in quite a few years,” Harry said, the only thing he could think of as he took a step forward to blow out the candle, smoke billowing up around him. There was silence for a moment as Scorpius seemed to be observing him back, something curious in his eyes. “So, are you back to stay?”

Scorpius seemed to shake himself, looking up into Harry’s eyes as he tried to understand the question. After a moment, he nodded. “I am. I did a fair bit of traveling but it’s good to be home, honestly. Ryan says he’s happy to stay here and I’m happy to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life. Traveling has only increased my love of the stars. Seeing so many different places to view the sky, especially places and devices the Muggles have come up with… It’s so similar yet so different.”

While he spoke about Astronomy, Scorpius gesticulated as he always had, his passion coming through in just his voice. He’d always loved Astronomy, for as long as Harry had known him, and Harry was glad that some things didn’t change. It was endearing, how much life Scorpius seemed to have in him. The fact that Scorpius liked sharing that life with everybody around him.

“I haven’t had a chance to travel much,” Harry said which wasn’t quite true. He’d had plenty of chances but he’d chosen stability, a family, his wife and later children. Traveling hadn’t seemed so important back then. It still wasn’t as important as his children, of course, but he could see the appeal.

Scorpius tilted his head to the side, opening his mouth but the two were interrupted as Albus came into the room.

“Is Scorpius boring you about all of the planetariums he visited in America?” Albus asked, leaning against the doorframe and crossing his arms over his chest.

Scorpius scowled and Harry laughed, shaking his head.

“Nothing boring about the stars, Albus,” Harry said, something he never thought he’d say before. Astronomy had never interested him but then, nobody had ever been as interesting on the topic as Scorpius constantly was. “I should leave you to get back to the party, though.”

“I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again soon enough,” Scorpius said and Harry couldn’t help but wonder what that was in his tone.

Something about it sounded like a promise but Harry was fairly certain it couldn’t be. There was no promise to be had there.

Harry gave his son a hug, Scorpius a nod, his niece a smile, and the rest of the party-goers a wave before heading home. He needed to get his head on straight. Perhaps he’d just been single for too long.

**

“I know you said you were best friends with Harry Potter’s youngest son but you didn’t tell me you knew the man himself more than just as your professor.”

The question was asked innocently enough but Scorpius couldn’t help the way the words made him bristle. They were staying in a flat several blocks from Diagon Alley, paid for with his father’s money. Scorpius had an inheritance, had access to the family vault, but it had never felt like his. Eventually, he knew he was going to have to earn his own living, he just wished it was easier to try to decide how.

“I didn’t think it was that important. Besides, we’re not close,” Scorpius said, turning off the water and blotting his face with a hand towel. Ryan didn’t look convinced, raising an eyebrow and leaning against the bathroom wall as he washed his face. “I spent a handful of holidays with them but it was Ginny who spent the most time with us as teens. Prof- Harry always had excuses but I believed even back then that divorce was inevitable. I think he did too.”

Ryan nodded, seeming to be taking in the words. He finished with his face, drying his hands and grinning. That smile was one of the first things that had attracted Scorpius to him. He wasn’t the type that Scorpius typically went for but he had a genuine smile, a nice laugh and a fun personality. Just because Scorpius wasn’t the least bit physically attracted to him didn’t mean much. It wasn’t Ryan’s fault he wasn’t Harry Potter.

“Still,” Ryan said with a shrug, moving forward to wrap his arms around Scorpius’ waist from behind, pressing a few kisses to his shoulder. “It’s cool that you were _around_ the Harry Potter. He’s famous everywhere. We even learned about him in America.”

Scorpius tensed in Ryan’s hold, resisting the urge to pull away from him. It wasn’t Ryan’s fault that he was enthralled with Harry. So many people were. “Harry’s just like any other person,” Scorpius bit out, looking at his fiancé in the mirror. Ryan looked surprised by the vehemence in Scorpius’ tone.

“What’s the big deal anyway? That I think it’s cool you’re best friends with the son of an actual celebrity?”

Which was perfectly fair and Scorpius knew it. He had no real right to be so angry. Except it was Harry and seeing him tonight had brought all of the latent attractions back to life. Scorpius had made himself believe over the years that he’d blown everything up in his head and Harry wasn’t quite as attractive as he’d remembered. That had been a silly thought. “I just… know how much it bothers Harry to be fawned over that way. He deserves a happy, normal life and relationship.”

Ryan just rolled his eyes, pulling Scorpius’ arm up so he could move under it to his side, pressing his lips to Scorpius’. Scorpius supposed as distractions went, it wasn’t the worst.

_2023._

Scorpius groaned as he shot up from Albus’ bed, unable to listen to the boys talk about girls any longer. It was Albus’ 16th birthday celebration and Scorpius knew his schoolmates had every right to talk about what they wanted but did it always have to be girls? Couldn’t they talk about anything else? Scorpius wasn’t picky. Schoolwork, Quidditch, tea. Honestly, Scorpius would take anything besides the girls that he hadn’t admitted to anybody else yet that he wasn’t attracted to.

“I’m going to get a glass of water,” Scorpius said, hearing Albus give him a quiet okay and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

He was sure his friends weren’t even going to notice him gone. Which didn’t really bother Scorpius, not in that way, but it meant he had plenty of time. He’d been in the Potter house enough that he knew his way around and he got to the kitchen in only seconds. As soon as he reached it, he froze, though, hearing the raised voices of Albus’ parents.

It had been a surprise for Scorpius and the rest of them that Harry and Ginny had both been present for the party earlier but they’d been on their best behavior around family and friends. Now that they were alone, it seemed, they were letting their frustrations out. Scorpius peeked around the doorway, seeing the two cleaning up the mess the boys had made in their late night quest for more sweets, having not eaten enough sugar with the overly large cake and massive bowls of ice cream at the party.

“Don’t try to make this about my mother. It’s not her fault she was wondering why you’re always late to these sorts of things. She knows you better than that,” Ginny said, her tone acidic.

Although Scorpius had pulled his head back so he couldn’t see, he could imagine Harry rolling his eyes. “You had everything under control.”

Ginny laughed, the sound grating and something Scorpius had never heard from her. Normally she was fiery but kind when Scorpius was around their family. This was a completely different side of her, a side that seemed so bitter. “I shouldn’t have to, Harry. You’re never home and when you are, your mind is someplace else.”

“You’re the same! You’re not home either, Ginny. Don’t try to turn this around on me.”

“I’m here with the kids!” Ginny snapped and there was the sound of a plate shattering. Scorpius hesitantly peeked in again, seeing that Ginny had moved her wand too fast, dishes clattering as they washed in the sink. Ginny’s jaw set as she fixed it before turning back to Harry and Scorpius hid again. “Every break, I’m here with them.”

Harry huffed as more dishes clattered. “I’m here, aren’t I? Don’t try to make me some absentee father, Ginny. I’m not.”

“I’m not trying to say that!” Ginny snapped and Scorpius knew he shouldn’t be here listening to this. This conversation was obviously something deeply personal between the couple and he knew he wasn’t part of it. There was no way he could leave, though, not right now. “I’m not accusing you of being an absentee father, Harry, but an absentee husband.”

Harry laughed, sounding just as cynical and angry as Ginny had. It was just as shocking from the normally mild-mannered professor. The silence extended for so long that Scorpius looked out again but the two were simply staring at each other. Harry looked so defeated and it sent something cold spiraling in Scorpius’ chest.

All he wanted to do was take that look away from the man, knowing he didn’t deserve to look that way. Nobody deserved to look that way although he knew normally it didn’t make him feel so much. Was it because Ginny and Harry were Albus’ parents? Was that why it affected Scorpius so much?

He didn’t know.

He just watched as Harry turned on his heel, walking out of the kitchen, fortunately through the other hallway. Not wanting to get caught, Scorpius moved quickly down the hallway he was in, heading back towards Albus’ room, glass of water forgotten. The boys were still talking about girls but it was okay. Scorpius had a lot on his own mind as he flopped back down on Albus’ bed and stared up at the ceiling.


	2. Chapter 2

_2029._

Harry woke with a groan, glasses digging into his nose and body tense as he tried to figure out what that loud banging was. It only took him a few moments to realize it was somebody knocking and he got up, taking off his glasses to rub his eyes. None of his Dark Detectors were omitting any sounds or lights but he still grabbed his wand out of habit before opening the door.

When he saw it was just his son and Scorpius, he lowered his wand, blinking at them. “What time is it?”

“Almost four, Dad, jeez. Have you been sleeping this whole time?” Albus asked, pushing past Harry into the house.

Harry shook his head, rubbing his forehead. “Fell asleep reading,” Harry said, giving Scorpius a small smile as he opened the door wider for the other man to step inside after.

“Well, thanks for opening the door then,” Albus said, his tone playful as he gave his father a hug. Harry hugged him back, grateful as he ever was that his kids had never been the type to outgrow something like physical affection. “Scorpius had to talk to you and I came because I’m too lazy to go shopping so would like to get into your fridge.”

Harry laughed, closing the door behind them and stepping into the living room. “Help yourself. Sit down. Do you guys want anything to drink?” he asked, stretching as he moved his book from the couch to the coffee table, immediately regretting it when Scorpius noticed the book.

He’d asked Hermione on recommendations for good Astronomy books. 

It was too late to do anything about it now so he could only flush, pretending it was nothing as he sat down on the couch and the two men took seats in arm chairs across from him. 

“We’re okay,” Scorpius said, ignoring Albus’ little sound of protest. Harry figured Albus was staying for moral support anyway and Albus would go to the kitchen after. 

“Whatever it is, go ahead,” Harry said, waving his arms with no small amount of amusement as Scorpius hesitated over whatever it obviously was. 

As he waited, Harry could only keep remind himself that looking at Scorpius with blatant want in his eyes was such a bad idea. 

Scorpius cleared his throat, leaning forward and lifting up his hands to gesture as he spoke. The habit amused Harry and he knew he shouldn’t find it so charming. “I actually have a favor to ask. I understand if you say no and there’ll be no hard feelings at all. But, well, my father’s offered me the use of Malfoy Manor as a place to get married or has offered to pay for any number of other places. I’d like a wedding outdoors at night, though, and even with Malfoy money there aren’t that many venues that seem willing to accommodate us. Not the way I want it. Ryan’s agreed. So, I was wondering if you’d let me and my fiancé get married here.”

There had been any number of ideas running through Harry’s mind when Scorpius said he had a favor but not this. He couldn’t quite understand. “Why?”

“That’s kind of a dumb question,” Albus said with a laugh. “The gardens in this house are gorgeous and I don’t even care for Herbology. We have a good view of the stars which is, of course, Scorpius’ main requirements. Besides, Scorpius did spend plenty of time here when we were teens.”

Harry pressed his lips together, not particularly liking thinking of those years. They weren’t fond memories of the hurt he and Ginny had put each other through. Just because they were on friendlier terms now didn’t mean all the wounds had healed. 

“Malfoy Manor isn’t as homey as here either. I’ve always loved the Potter estate, with the flowers and trees. I really will understand if you say no but it will mean a lot to me. Everything will be taken care of, we’ll make sure everything is cleaned.”

Harry had a few misgivings about such an event taking place at his home but… he couldn’t put them into words right now. It wasn’t like Harry to say no to something like this so he nodded. “Sure, of course you can get married here.”

“Great. Well, with that taken care of, I’m going to get something to eat. Scorp, want something?” Albus asked, standing up from the couch with a dramatic huff.

Scorpius shook his head, looking at Harry curiously as Albus headed towards the kitchen. Harry tried not to squirm under the scrutiny, having an odd feeling that Scorpius got him in a way that he wasn’t used to. It seemed that the other man knew Harry wasn’t being completely honest although he had no idea how. 

“It’s okay if you don’t want the wedding here. I promise, I won’t mind or feel offended. You don’t need to feel obligated for any reason,” Scorpius said, sounding confused but not unsure about his words.

Harry shook his head, unwilling to admit why he might not want such an event at his home. Even if the way Scorpius was looking at him made him want to be honest. “I don’t mind the wedding here. It’s not about the wedding,” Harry said and that wasn’t really a lie.

It wasn’t all the truth either, though, and Scorpius could obviously see it. The younger man looked at him, really looked, their eyes meeting and there was something so compassionate in Scorpius’, something so warm that Harry wanted to fall into them.

“I just don’t want a bunch of people here,” Harry said honestly, surprised by the words considering he hadn’t even meant to say them. He pressed his lips together but he was committed now and Scorpius didn’t look like he was judging him. “I hate people making a fuss and to have them in my home?”

Scorpius shook his head immediately, completely serious as he leaned forward. “I wouldn’t put you through that. The wedding will take place completely outdoors and we can lock your house with whatever spells you’d like during. You don’t need to feel obligated to host or anything. I promise, it’ll be completely stress-free for you.”

There was something about his tone, something that felt like caring and Harry couldn’t help the heat that filled him as their eyes locked. It had nothing to do with how gorgeous the other man was but how kind he obviously was as well. He was just about to open his mouth, say something, ask Scorpius how he’d grown into somebody so amazing when Albus came into the kitchen, holding a massive sandwich.

The moment was lost as Harry and Scorpius both burst into laughter and Albus frowned.

“What?” he asked, around a mouthful of food.

Scorpius just shook his head, standing up and pushing his hands into his pockets. There was a brightness on his features but something that looked like tension in his shoulders. Harry was curious about that as well but he knew it wasn’t his place to ask. “We should go.”

“Hold on, then. I’m at least going to make a sandwich for the road.”

As Harry laughed again, his eyes caught Scorpius’ and he felt all of the breath being knocked from his lungs.

_2024._

Another school year gone and Harry stared at the brief letter his wife had written him. The words on the page seem to blur together, just a short message that felt more like it was written for a stranger than a spouse. Although, honestly, they’d felt more like strangers than anything. Even when they’d fought before, there’d always been passion, love, between them. Now, there was nothing.

The letter contained just a small update on her life, telling him what she was doing and inquiring over Albus and Lily. It surprised Harry to think about the fact that Albus was going to be graduating this year, Lily in just two more. He wished time didn’t pass so quickly. It felt like only yesterday, they were tiny babies, small enough to be held in his hands. Now, they were almost grown.

He didn’t know what he and Ginny would do once Lily was graduated. Their marriage felt like it was held together by the thinnest of threads, already fraying and cracking. They still both loved their children more than anything and he was fairly certain that was why they were still together. After Lily had graduated? He wasn’t sure if that bond was going to be enough anymore.

The sound of a knock on the door had Harry glancing up, calling out for whoever it was to come in. It wasn’t that he didn’t still love Ginny. He did, maybe even more now than back then, but it was different. It felt the way he had loved her before, back when she’d simply been his best friend’s kid sister. Maybe that was how it had always been meant to stay. 

“Professor Potter, I’m not interrupting, am I?” Scorpius asked as he peeked around the doorway, only stepping inside when Harry assured him that he wasn’t. The student was a welcome distraction, honestly.

Harry had spent enough time with Scorpius in the past to know there was something on Scorpius’ mind but he knew he couldn’t force it out of him. Scorpius hovered in the doorway for a few moments before moving to sit in a desk in the front row, able to look at Harry from where he was sitting.

“My father sent me a letter that he and my mum will be coming to the graduation ceremony. Not that I doubted it, of course, but it’s still good to hear,” Scorpius said after a moment.

Harry nodded, seeming to consider the words before he spoke. He knew that Draco had been a model citizen since the last war and was a loving father. Harry didn’t like the man, probably never would but he respected who he had become and how he had turned his life around. 

“That’s good to hear,” Harry responded as he tried to figure out what might have Scorpius looking so concerned. “There’s still so much to be done for the ceremony but I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. I still have so much to do, in addition to all of my final grading.”

“I have a hard time with just my schoolwork. I can’t imagine how much you have to do as a professor,” Scorpius said, tapping his fingers against the desk.

It should probably be annoying but the rhythm felt soothing in a way. 

“It’s not what I had in mind when I graduated Hogwarts,” Harry said which was putting things lightly. “But I like it. Making a difference in student’s lives… I’ve only been teaching for a few years, you know that, but I’d like to be doing it for a long time.”

Scorpius smiled, nodding his head and looking down at the desk. He traced his fingers along the grain, chewing on his lip for a moment. “I’ve been thinking of what I’ll do when I graduate. I’m going to America. I want to travel and study the stars and planets there, everywhere. I’ve told my father but… he doesn’t really want to believe it.”

Harry nodded, finally seeing what Scorpius really wanted to talk to him about. He didn’t say that he probably wasn’t the best person to talk about Draco Malfoy with, because maybe at Hogwarts, he was. “I can see why he’s in denial,” he said after a moment. “As a parent, it’s hard to let your child go like that.”

“I’m not a child anymore, though. I just… want something more than what people predict of me. I don’t want to work in the Ministry or at St. Mungo’s. You have to understand,” Scorpius said, sounding almost pleading. 

Harry wished he could give him something more, more reassurance, but he knew from experience it wasn’t that easy. Instead, he thought about Scorpius’ last sentence before he answered. “I chose to be a family man,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “I don’t know if people expected that but it’s what I wanted and that’s what mattered. I chose the woman who loved me and could give me a family. A woman I loved.”

The last sentence was an after-thought and it seemed that they both knew it. 

“I know what’s in the history books,” Scorpius said after a moment, the words honest and sincere. “I’m not asking about that. I’m asking you if you can understand wanting something more?”

Harry shook his head, back to being unsure what he could possibly say to that. The answer was, he didn’t even know himself. He had never allowed himself to want. There had always been more important things on his mind than things he wanted. 

It took Harry a few moments before he spoke. “The history books all have romanticized me. My friends and I camped in a forest for half a year. We fought and cried and bled. Eventually, all I wanted was something quiet. That’s the something more that I wanted after that.”

“I suppose I can respect that,” Scorpius said, chewing on his lip for a moment. Then he smiled, shaking his head. “That’s not the something more I want. I like the idea of being married to that special somebody but I don’t think I want kids. They sound like they’d be annoying to have and would put a damper on the life I’d like to live.”

Harry laughed, surprised by his honesty. “They’re okay but I don’t blame you for not wanting any. They are a challenge.”

Scorpius grinned, seemingly okay with the lighter tone their conversation was taking on. “I’ll tell Albus you say so.”

“I’ll tell Albus to his face. He knows I love him but kids are hard,” Harry said, unable to help his own smile, the way he liked talking to the young man in front of him. “Being an adult… having kids. It’s not all that it appears to be.”

From the expression on Scorpius’ face, he believed him and he smiled before standing up slowly. “I should go to bed. I’m sorry for keeping you from your work.”

Harry looked up at the clock on the wall before shaking his head. He hadn’t even realized how time had passed. “It’s alright. I always have time for you, don’t worry. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“You won’t be able to say that to me for too long,” Scorpius pointed out, smiling softly before he was heading out the classroom door.

It must just be time passing that had Harry’s heart constricting over that thought.

_2029._

Harry walked on the other side of Albus, trying to avoid Scorpius’ fiancé, who kept asking questions about things. Scorpius kept trying to pull him from the conversation but Ryan kept coming back, interested in Harry’s past. Even though Harry was used to it, it never made it any easier or less uncomfortable. Especially since Draco was glaring at him from a few feet away as they toured Harry’s gardens.

On the other side of some trees, Scorpius and Ryan were deep in discussion and Harry forced himself not to look over at them. Astoria was walking next to Draco, pointing out a few things about the grounds as Draco looked grumpily around them.

Astoria finally shook her head, moving forward to talk with Scorpius and Ryan instead and Albus smirked, moving to stand by Harry.

“Mr. Malfoy is just grumpy that Scorpius chose to get married here instead of at his family manor,” Albus said, sounding amused by the fact.

Harry nodded, finally glancing up and seeing Scorpius obviously speaking since he was gesturing. Harry took a deep breath, watching him for a moment before looking away because otherwise he’d spend too much time staring. The last thing he needed was his son or Scorpius’ fiancé and parents to catch him staring. “Do you know why he chose not to? I understand he wanted something more… homey but is there another reason?”

Albus raised his eyebrows, turning to face his father completely. There was too much amusement on his face for Harry’s peace of mind. For a moment, Harry wished he hadn’t asked the question. “Well, mostly what Scorpius said. It’s nice, he likes the gardens, wanted to get married outdoors. Plus, of course, it was Ryan’s idea. You realize that Ryan is kind of in love with you, right?”

Harry’s cheeks heated up and he groaned, shaking his head as he glanced over at the engaged couple again, thankful they were too far away to hear the conversation. He hoped his son wouldn’t bring this up if anybody around could hear, anyway. “That isn’t love, Al. It’s just hero worship. I get it a lot but it’s not an actual emotion.”

“Like from my mom,” Albus said with a mischievous smile. The words went through Harry like a knife and Albus seemed to regret the words when he saw the expression on Harry’s face. “I was kidding. Bad joke.”

“Me and your mother loved each other,” Harry murmured and he meant it. They had loved each other at one point or another, even if it hadn’t been the way they should have to get married.

Still. He couldn’t look over at Albus, even as he felt his son’s gaze on him. They stood at a silent standstill for a few moments before Albus reached out, resting a hand on his father’s arm. “I know, Dad. You don’t need to give me some kind of talk. You and Mum did that plenty when you got a divorce.”

Harry huffed out a breath, glancing up when Scorpius and Ryan came walking towards them. 

“This is perfect. We can put the altar a few feet over there. The flowers and trees will be in the background for pictures but we’ll still be able to see the night sky above us. It was like it was designed to be a wedding site,” Scorpius said, already walking away, pointing out places with his mother that they could put chairs.

It was a nice area, Harry knew that. He’d designed it by himself when they’d moved in. Half the garden had been designed by Ginny, dozens of different types of flowers and trees and plants in organized chaos. Harry hadn’t been as interested. He didn’t want anything as orderly as the Dursley’s house, no, but he wanted something with personality. He wanted it to feel like home.

Was that what called to Scorpius for the site of his wedding? Harry couldn’t help but think about that, so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t notice Draco moving up behind him.

“I do appreciate you letting Scorpius get married here,” Draco said, arms crossed tight over his chest, his lips pressed like he was sucking on a lemon. If Harry didn’t feel so awkward standing there listening to it, he might find Draco’s expression funny. At least they both obviously felt uncomfortable having this conversation. “I already told Scorpius but I’d be happy to pay you for the use of the space.”

Harry shook his head, following Draco’s gaze and Scorpius was looking delightedly up at the sky as he spoke with his mother, while Ryan, a few feet away, regarded the flowerbeds. “You don’t need to pay. The gardens aren’t used for anything. It’s not a problem for Scorpius to get married here. He and Albus are friends. That matters.”

The man in question had his arm around Astoria’s waist as he laughed, a sparkle in his eyes and excitement on his face. Harry couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so passionate about anything but Scorpius seemed to display it all the time.

Draco nodded, his arms loosening over his chest until they finally fell to his sides. “Albus is a good kid,” he said which was funny to Harry considering Albus was about the same height as the two of them at this point. Still, Harry could understand still thinking of Albus as a kid. He just couldn’t think of Scorpius as a child anymore, even if part of him knew it would be easier not to find him so attractive if he could. “I got to know him well during summer holidays he spent time with us and… you… we… I mean, you raised good kids.”

Harry looked over at him, surprised by the words but Draco was staring straight ahead, obviously with no interest to make eye contact with Harry. The entire conversation was quite a surprise to Harry but he appreciated it all. Scorpius’ laughter brought Harry’s attention to him again and he could only stare, so captivated that it actually hurt. Harry had a feeling that it really shouldn’t feel the way it did to look at Scorpius so happy with his fiancé. 

“You raised Scorpius well too,” Harry said after a minute, knowing he meant the words but he felt wrong somehow for saying them. He wasn’t looking at Scorpius like he was his former student, more than twenty years younger than Harry. He was looking at Scorpius like he was a man. 

Draco nodded and Harry assumed that would be the end of the conversation, that Draco would walk away and Harry could try to find something to distract himself. Maybe he’d make small talk with Astoria or talk with his son. But Draco stayed at his side as they both watched Ryan walking around the gardens, not paying much attention to his fiancé.

“I just don’t know if Scorpius knows what he’s doing,” Draco said, drawing Harry’s attention back to him. There was something unsure in Draco’s tone. Harry could hear how much he cared about his son in his tone and it just made him feel worse for staring at Scorpius with such want. “He was always trying to shock me when he was younger, especially when he was sorted into Ravenclaw, when he became friends with Albus and Rose. I hope he’s happy with what he’s doing.”

Clearing his throat, Harry crossed his arms over his chest, wondering why it was him that Draco was choosing to have this conversation with. Was it because Harry had known Scorpius back then? “Teenagers are like that. In and out of relationships, sometimes just to be shocking.”

Draco laughed, looking over at Astoria and when Harry looked at him, there was such affection in his eyes that it made him ache. He thought of his marriage and while he didn’t like to admit it often, he missed being in love. He missed that feeling of having somebody who knew him, somebody to come home to and drink tea next to on the couch. Somebody who pushed him.

“I never really had that problem. Pansy claimed me as her boyfriend from a young age and I was never able to get away from her,” Draco said.

The both of them laughed over the words, obviously both of them remembering their time at Hogwarts. Harry knew if anybody had told him at that age that someday he’d be standing in his backyard, laughing with Draco since his son would be getting married there, he’d think something had gone wrong in the timeline. But it seemed like it was meant to be now. It felt almost natural to be standing there and laughing with him.

Everybody looked over at them with varying degrees of surprise but Harry’s eyes were drawn, as always, to Scorpius. The younger man had a small smile on his face and he looked pleased for a reason that Harry couldn’t figure out.

_2024._

Harry glanced up from his essay reading as he heard the scratch of the quill. He and Scorpius had stopped their extra studying nearly an hour ago but instead of leaving the classroom, Scorpius had simply asked if he was bothering Harry and, after receiving a no for an answer, had settled at a desk to work on his Potions essay. It surprisingly didn’t bother him at all to have Scorpius in the room with him, the way it might to have another student in there. Perhaps it was because they already spent so much time together during Scorpius’ extra study sessions.

The silence continued for a while, both of them working on their own work before Harry could feel Scorpius’ gaze on him and he looked up again.

“So, you and my dad hated each other in school?” Scorpius asked, closing his book with a decisive sound and looking up at his professor.

Harry choked on his tongue, not sure why he was so surprised by the question. He and Scorpius normally talked about different topics, although they were generally a little lighter than Harry’s school years. They talked about books they were reading and classes and clubs and Quidditch, not that Scorpius played but he liked watching. He was proficient on a broom but he preferred it more recreationally than playing the sport.

“I…” Harry hesitated, tilting his head to the side as he tried to figure out how to say this to his student. Because as much time as the two spent with each other, he was very aware that Scorpius was his student. “Things were different back then. A lot less interhouse unity. There were very few Gryffindor and Slytherin students who did like each other.”

Scorpius nodded, seeming to consider the words. “But some hated each other less than you and my dad did.”

With Scorpius’ words, Harry wondered what Draco had said about him. He assumed Scorpius wouldn’t have asked Harry for extra help if Draco talked badly about him constantly. And besides, Scorpius was friends with his son and niece. Scorpius couldn’t believe most of what Draco might say about Harry. 

“Your dad and I had differing opinions,” Harry finally said diplomatically.

Scorpius smirked, fingers tracing across the lettering on the front of his Potions textbook. “You mean my grandfather taught my dad to worship Voldemort and you felt the opposite.”

Harry smiled slightly in response, shaking his head. He admired that Scorpius never backed away from potentially tough subjects. “Yes, something like that. Do you see him often? Your grandfather?”

“No,” Scorpius said quickly, shaking his head and wrinkling his nose. Harry respected that, at least, glad that Draco wasn’t letting Lucius Malfoy, currently imprisoned for life in Azkaban, try to poison Scorpius’ mind. Harry’s testimony had helped keep Narcissa and Draco out of Azkaban but he hadn’t felt very generous towards Lucius. Even if he had, he knew it wouldn’t have helped. Lucius had done too much. “I’ve met him a couple of times but my dad doesn’t go to see him very much. I’m close with my grandmother, though. I had to read in my textbooks that she saved your life. They never told me.”

“She did,” Harry said, glancing down at the parchment in his hand as he thought about those moments. They weren’t memories he liked to think of, any of them. But he knew Scorpius wasn’t bringing bad memories to him on purpose. “Are you working on History of Magic?”

“No. I’m just wondering,” Scorpius said with a casual shrug, grinning as he pulled his bag onto his lap. “I had a bet going with a few housemates. None of them thought you’d admit that you hate my dad to me.”

Harry couldn’t help his surprised laugh, noticing that Scorpius looked rather pleased with himself. He couldn’t help but think he’d walked directly into the conversation Scorpius wanted to have. “I don’t hate your dad,” Harry clarified, being completely serious with the words. As he’d grown older, he’d accepted that Draco had been just as lost as Harry had been back then. “He didn’t do anything truly unforgiveable. It’s hard to be in that position when you’re so young.”

Scorpius nodded, looking contemplative as he stared down at his book. Then he silently picked it up, putting it in his bag and standing up, pulling the strap of his bag over his shoulder. “You and my dad are kind of alike. I have to get to dinner.”

With that, Scorpius headed out of the classroom and Harry watched him go. He tapped his quill against the desk, realizing there was quite a bit about Scorpius that he didn’t think he had grasped.


	3. Chapter 3

_2029._

Scorpius grinned as he took the offered cup of tea, looking Harry up and down. It should not be so charming for a grown man to be dressed in a royal purple knitted jumper with a giant H on the front of it. Honestly, Scorpius wasn’t sure any other grown man dressed in such clothing would be endearing. It had to be just Harry. That probably said something but Scorpius figured it was better to just ignore such thoughts.

“You don’t need to come out with me. It’s late and cold,” Scorpius told him for the second time as Harry walked out of his front door, holding his own mug of tea with two hands. “I just didn’t want to be cursed if you found me outside in the middle of the night.”

Harry grinned, shrugging as he gestured for Scorpius to start walking. “I wasn’t doing anything. I don’t mind.”

Scorpius nodded, pushing his free hand into his pocket, holding onto the mug with his other hand. He didn’t know if he was glad that Harry was coming with him or not. On one hand, Scorpius liked being around Harry. He always had, honestly. The man was kind, intelligent, with a dry sense of humor that Scorpius appreciated. Even back in school, Scorpius had often chosen to stay after tutoring sessions. Even sitting in silence with Harry made Scorpius feel comfortable.

It shouldn’t. Scorpius knew that. They weren’t meant to be together. Scorpius had come to accept that over the years he’d spent in America. He’d fallen in love with Ryan. Maybe his parents didn’t think Ryan was the perfect man for him but Scorpius loved him enough. They would get married and things would be fine. Better than fine. Scorpius could be happy with Ryan.

He lifted his head to look at the sky as they walked, the main reason he had wanted to come out to see the wedding site at night. The sky would be different next month when the wedding would be held but he wanted to see what kind of view they would have. Would the trees block the stars too much?

“You can see Jupiter from here without a telescope,” Scorpius said, pointing to the planet. He’d spent a few minutes studying his star maps before coming, wanting to know what he might be seeing.

Harry glanced up along with him, drawing his eyebrows together in a way that Scorpius had to force himself to look away from. There was something strangely intimate about walking through the gardens towards such a gorgeous spot, both of them wearing comfortable clothes and holding cups of tea. “How can you tell?”

“I just can,” Scorpius said, a quiet laugh leaving his lips as Harry gave him a look that he might’ve given him back when Scorpius was a student. Scorpius shook his head. “You can tell it’s a planet because stars’ light seems to move and change while planets are stagnant. Their light just is. If you were looking through a telescope, Jupiter is a beige sort of color. How I really knew it’s Jupiter? I was studying my star chart before we came out here.”

“Ah,” Harry said, sounding more amused than anything as he took a sip of his tea, looking at Scorpius from over the rim of the mug. “Astronomy was never something I was very good at. I never found it very interesting.”

“How can you not find it interesting? To know that we can do so much as wizards and yet our knowledge of the stars and planets is on the same level as Muggles. Well, almost. I suppose we know more about the symbolism but they have their myths,” Scorpius said, pulling his hand out of his pocket so he could gesture towards the sky, speaking passionately about the topic. It was something that people rarely seemed to want to listen to. His mother listened because she was always willing to listen to him when he talked.

His father listened because he thought it made him a good father. Sometimes his friends listened. And sometimes Ryan listened. But, as Scorpius pointed out various other constellations and things that even the Muggles knew about, he couldn’t help but watch Harry’s face.

While there wasn’t a lot of comprehension on Harry’s features, there was interest. The man seemed to care about what Scorpius was saying, in a way that made something warm fill Scorpius’ body. It felt flattering although Scorpius couldn’t help but think that it was actually just the professor in Harry. Of course he’d listen to what a student was saying about a school subject they were passionate about.

That thought had Scorpius flushing a little, wanting Harry to realize he wasn’t a child anymore, nor a teenager. “I’ve been talking to my father. I’d like to do more research on the planets, how their location in relation to Earth affects our magic. My father has agreed to let me work on my research for three years. If, after that, I haven’t made any world-changing discoveries, or made enough money to support myself, I’ve told him that I’ll take on a role at the Ministry.”

Harry nodded, taking another, longer drink of his tea as they reached the spot the altar would be at and Scorpius leaned against the tree that would be in the backdrop. He glanced up as Harry thought of a response, glad to see that the view wouldn’t be too blocked by the tree limbs. “I’m sure your family has enough money that you don’t have to work.”

Scorpius smirked, nodding and looking back at Harry, taking his own drink of tea. “We do. But my parents don’t want me to be lazy and spoiled. They want me to work and don’t want me to use astronomy as an excuse not to. My father would never say but he desperately wanted me to work at the Ministry.”

“I understand wanting your child to work but you’re passionate for astronomy. It’s not like you’re lazy,” Harry said as Scorpius eyed him. He knew that Harry and Ginny had given each of their children sizeable inheritances when they’d graduated, trusting them not to squander it. To their credit, none of them had. 

Draco and Astoria had chosen not to finance Scorpius’ trip to America and it had been quite a family disagreement when Narcissa had given him the money instead. But Scorpius had learned a lot from American magic-folk and Muggles alike. This was something he could do for a living, he knew it.

Arguing about his father wasn’t his intention, especially when it seemed he and Harry were so comfortable in each other’s presence already, so Scorpius let out a breath. “We’ve chosen the date for the full moon. Even the Muggles have their superstitions about it being lucky to get married on a full moon. It’s a fresh start, representing balance. It’s supposed to heighten emotions. Plus, of course, it’s going to look gorgeous.”

Harry smiled, seeing to accept the change of conversation. “Isn’t that a little bit more in the Divination territory than Astronomy?”

“It’s an oversimplification of things but that’s part of what I want to study more. How much is accurate and how much isn’t. There’s no reason to risk bad luck, though,” Scorpius told him, figuring he and Ryan could use all the luck they could get. Maybe most marriages did.

Harry nodded, looking contemplative as he moved to lean against one of the trees. With Harry quiet, Scorpius looked around again, trying to figure out if he could fit as many chairs as his parents wanted. Ryan’s family would be flying in as would some of his friends, although not many. Scorpius figured that was okay since he had plenty of guests to make up for Ryan’s lack of.

“I planted this area when Ginny and I moved here,” Harry said and Scorpius looked over, surprised by the sudden words. He took a swallow of his tea as he listened to him. “I wanted a quiet place to just sit with my thoughts. Before I started working at Hogwarts, I felt like I was out here almost every night. Then I started working and… well, I still come out here a lot during the summer.”

Tracing his finger along the rim of his mug, Scorpius considered what he’d been told, and what he wanted to say in response. The truth was, he liked every new side of Harry that he saw. It wasn’t easy for him to peel away the layers. “Did you go to work at Hogwarts to get away from home?”

Harry looked surprised by the question but not offended which Scorpius was glad about. The last thing he wanted to do was offend Harry when they were having a conversation like this. “No… Maybe partly. I became an Auror because I wanted to help keep people safe. I stayed with it for too long until I realized that I didn’t want to fight anymore. I came home and I didn’t know what to do with myself. I didn’t have to work but I didn’t like being idle. Finally, I figured I could still help people at Hogwarts. And Ginny and I…” Harry hesitated, looking up at Scorpius with what could be concern on his face. Scorpius kept his features carefully but not overly supportive, trying not to let Harry regret this conversation. “Ginny and I never had enough to make a marriage work.”

“What makes a marriage work?” Scorpius asked, a mix of curiosity and amusement in his tone. He felt for Harry, having to go through all of that. Harry was such a caring person, Scorpius knew that, and to hear him sound almost defeated because of the fall of his marriage… it hurt something in Scorpius.

And that had nothing to do with the fact that he unfortunately thought he might still be in love with him. Scorpius had so hoped that being apart from him for so many years would have made his feelings fade. 

Harry laughed. “If I knew that, maybe I’d be married,” he said, his tone playful but Scorpius could hear a touch of bitterness mixed in. 

Scorpius wondered what Harry’s life would’ve been like if he hadn’t had to go to war so young. Maybe Harry would be happier if he’d never had to be a child soldier, never had to believe he had to sacrifice himself. “Maybe you should’ve gotten married under the full moon,” Scorpius teased, wanting mainly to make the little bit of pain in Harry’s eyes go away.

Harry smiled and it looked a little more genuine as he leaned back against the tree again, looking up at the moon above them. Scorpius wondered if Harry even knew what phase the moon was in but he knew the answer almost immediately. Most likely not. “Maybe I should have,” Harry agreed, closing his eyes.

So many parts of Scorpius wanted to reach out, wanted to touch him, wanted to grab the front of his ridiculous jumper and pull him in for a kiss. It was a very dangerous thought for him, he knew that, for a dozen reasons, starting with him being engaged. It wasn’t easy to go away, though, not when he so enjoyed Harry’s company.

Scorpius let out a breath, looking down at his tea and he thought maybe he should wrap things up. He could say he had done everything he had to and head home. There was plenty of time still to make sure things looked nice at night and he could come back with his fiancé next time. Maybe he should do that.

He didn’t, didn’t even really strongly consider it. Instead, he looked over at Harry and told him a few more facts about the moon. As he spoke, he looked around at how the ceremony would be laid out and he could see the way that Harry was smiling.

It felt like a lifetime when he was finally done, although he was sure only an hour had passed. Scorpius was sure that Ryan was asleep but he’d always been more of a night owl. Just another difference they had but not one he felt like was big enough for them not to get married because of it. They’d both already finished their tea, Scorpius’ observations done a while ago while they simply talked about everything and nothing. It felt like old times, being back at Hogwarts.

As they walked back towards Harry’s house with empty mugs, Harry turned to Scorpius, the conversation having made its way to their jobs. “Your wedding is a nice distraction for the summer. Then I’ll be going back to Hogwarts for another year.”

Scorpius bit his lip, glancing down at the mug held loosely in his hand. “Do you still spend all of your time there?”

Harry hesitated before shaking his head. “No. Not exactly. I just wish there was something I could come home to.”

Scorpius felt butterflies burst in his chest and he decided to ignore that. He had to ignore that. Harry wasn’t interested in him. There would’ve been some sort of sign, something for Scorpius to see that Harry wanted more than whatever they had right now.

**

Harry didn’t know why he was actually here, standing in Malfoy Manor, watching Scorpius and Ryan greeted guests, thanking them for coming and accepting congratulations on their marriage. It reminded Harry vaguely of a happier time in his life, back when he and Ginny had been planning their own wedding, full of big dreams for the future. He took a gulp of his firewhiskey, glancing over when he heard footsteps coming up to him.

Albus was drinking wine, grinning as he looked with playful judgement at Harry’s own glass. “Mum thinks you’re avoiding her.”

“I’m not avoiding her. I just… don’t necessarily want to talk with her,” Harry said, glancing over at where Ginny and Roger were standing with Lily and James. He was happy for her but feeling sorry for himself. It was looking at Scorpius, at how happy he was, at how Harry wanted to see him that happy all the time, that was getting to him. Harry hated feeling it but he couldn’t stop. 

“Isn’t that what avoiding is?” Albus asked, shrugging when Harry just turned to look at him with an unamused expression.

“How’s wedding planning going, anyway?” Harry asked, although he already knew. Scorpius had come over quite a few nights over the past few weeks and every time, Harry made them tea and they went through the gardens. Furniture and decorations had slowly started being piled in the gardens with Harry’s permission. Sometimes Scorpius would bring a notebook, sketching and mapping out the stars. Sometimes Scorpius would move some decorations or chairs. And sometimes they’d just sit and talk, about whatever crossed their minds.

Albus laughed. “Amazing. Honestly, maybe translating runes wasn’t actually my calling. I should’ve become a wedding planner.”

Knowing that Albus enjoyed the work he did, Harry just smiled, shaking his head, his gaze drawn to the sound of Scorpius’ laugh. Ryan must’ve said something to him since Scorpius was hanging onto his arm, laughing and leaning into him. It made Harry’s heart clench. “You know your mother and I support you no matter what you do.”

There was silence for a moment and Harry looked over at his son, seeing Albus staring back at him contemplatively. Harry wasn’t sure he liked that look. “You know we support you no matter what too, right?” Albus asked.

Harry pressed his lips together, shaking his head and downing the rest of his drink. He needed more alcohol if he was going to deal with his younger son making cryptic comments and Draco Malfoy and the people he invited. “I need another drink,” Harry mumbled and Albus gave him a little wave as he walked off.

At one of the drink tables, Hugo was snacking, his little plate filled up with one of everything. He watched Harry as Harry grabbed another drink, resisting the urge to down it as well. The last thing he needed was to make a drunk fool of himself. 

“Think Mum and Dad will say anything if I have a few drinks?” Hugo asked, grabbing a napkin to wipe his fingers off and taking a sip of the obviously non-alcoholic drink in his hand.

Harry shrugged, looking over at where Hermione and Rose were making conversation with Astoria. Harry wondered where Ron had disappeared to and why he hadn’t invited him. At least if he was with Ron, they could talk about their disdain for their generation of Slytherins, half of whom were at the party. “I don’t know but I don’t think you want to get drunk at one of your sister’s best friend’s engagement parties, do you?”

“I don’t even want to be at one of my sister’s best friend’s engagement parties,” Hugo said grumpily which had Harry smiling. He knew that Scorpius, Rose and Albus had all spent plenty of time with each other’s families considering how close they were in the same house at Hogwarts. But Hugo and Lily were the typical younger siblings and not necessarily interested in those things. 

“Me neither,” Harry said teasingly, causing Hugo to laugh as the two stand there in comfortable silence for a few moments. 

After taking another bite, Hugo looked over at the happy couple and Harry reluctantly looked again as well. Scorpius’s cheeks were flushed, his eyes were shining and he had a wide smile on his lips. Harry thought he looked breathtaking. “I guess at least they’re happy so it’s not awkward. I can’t imagine getting married in two years.”

Harry realized after a few moments of staring at Scorpius that Hugo had said something to him and he quickly tried to think of a response. “There’s no rush,” he said although he knew he wasn’t paying close enough attention to his nephew. He wasn’t like that normally. His family was important to him. But Harry was enthralled with Scorpius and it was rapidly becoming a problem.

Hugo followed Harry’s gaze and then rolled his eyes. “Albus said you’d be useless tonight,” Hugo mumbled before turning and walking away without waiting for a response.

Deciding he would just ignore that, the same way he had ignored what Albus had said to him, Harry bit his lower lip. Draco and Astoria stood in the center of the room, calling attention to the crowd.

“Thank you everybody for coming,” Astoria said with a glance around the room before she ended up looking at Scorpius and Ryan. The couple was standing next to her, arms around each other’s waist, leaning against each other. “We’re so happy people are joining us for Scorpius and Ryan’s engagement party and hope everybody will join us for their wedding early next month. We haven’t known Ryan long but we know he’s going to be a welcome member of our family.”

The words were said in a kind tone but at her side, Draco looked like he was being held at the end of a wand. On her other side, Ryan tugged Scorpius a little to press a kiss to his lips and Harry had to turn away.

He couldn’t look at Scorpius, not right now. He shouldn’t. Scorpius was getting married, was the friend of and the same age as his son. Scorpius was his former student. There was a long list of reasons that Harry shouldn’t feel this sort of longing for Scorpius, even if their late nights together in Harry’s garden felt so nice.

In his mind, as he watched them, Harry tried to justify why he might want him for a reason that wasn’t because of their compatible personalities. Was it because Scorpius represented what Harry should’ve had in his youth? Was it because Scorpius cared for Harry as a hero? Was it because he couldn’t have Scorpius? As each question crossed his mind, he knew they weren’t accurate. It wasn’t about any ulterior motive in such a way.

It was Scorpius. It was all Scorpius.

Their eyes met as Harry finally looked back and Harry felt something stuck in his chest. He wished he was a little more sober, wished he hadn’t bothered to come tonight. Ginny would’ve represented Albus’ parents and Harry’s absence would barely have been noticed, right? Scorpius would’ve focused on his fiancé and that’s what would’ve mattered.

Harry turned, setting his mostly full glass down and heading down the hallway, having every intention of going back home and having an early night. He had some research to read regarding Erklings and maybe he’d have another glass of wine.

“Harry!”

Harry was tempted to continue walking but he couldn’t ignore Scorpius calling his name like that. He stopped, reluctantly turning back and seeing that Scorpius was jogging towards him. “I didn’t want to interrupt your party. I’m going to head home.”

Scorpius shook his head. “You wouldn’t be interrupting to tell me you’re leaving. I would’ve walked you to the Apparition point.”

While there was one fireplace connected to the Floo for the party, most people without young children had opted to Apparate. The Manor was heavily protected for a variety of reasons and even with the party, they still had to walk past the gates to Apparate out. 

“You don’t need to,” Harry said, pushing his hands into his pockets and thinking about how he didn’t want Scorpius to follow him out. Part of why he wanted to leave was to get away from Scorpius, not something he’d admit to the younger man. 

Scorpius shrugged. “I’m learning to be a good Malfoy host.”

Harry smiled back, letting out a breath as he reluctantly began walking with Scorpius, the two of them side by side, close enough the back of their hands kept brushing. Harry wondered if it was on purpose then told himself to stop. He hadn’t been so lovestruck since he was a teenager and he didn’t like feeling this way again.

“Are you going to still be a Malfoy when you get married?” Harry asked, more to make conversation than anything. 

Humming a little to let Harry know he had heard him, Scorpius kept walking, obviously thinking about his answer. “Ryan and I have been discussing what we’d like to do. I suppose I’d like to hyphenate but he doesn’t know how he feels about that. Malfoy-Fisher, Fisher-Malfoy, I don’t know if one of those really sounds good. Not like Malfoy-Potter, for example,” Scorpius said, the last words obviously just a joke to him but it still took Harry’s breath away.

He hadn’t even _thought_ about that but it did sound like it worked. Scorpius Malfoy-Potter, Harry Malfoy-Potter. Harry felt like one of his students, doodling names and initials in a heart on their homework. But Harry couldn’t help the way he felt. He couldn’t help it that he loved the way Scorpius said their names together.

After a few moments, Scorpius looked over at him and Harry realized he hadn’t responded. He should have but what could he have said?

“Anyway, thank you for coming. I know you didn’t have to so it means a lot,” Scorpius told him, letting out a slow breath, his body tense. Harry wondered why since he was sure Scorpius had been relaxed just a few moments ago.

“I’m rather involved in your wedding, aren’t I? Besides, you’re best friends with my son.” Harry wished those two were the only reasons he had come to the party. It would be better if they were.

Scorpius shook his head, opening the front door and stepping outside. When the two were outside together, Scorpius shut the door, turning to look at Harry instead of walking away. “I hope you came because we’re friends now. We are friends, aren’t we?”

Were they friends? Harry felt like Scorpius shouldn’t want to be friends with him considering how much he wanted Scorpius, how he couldn’t stop looking at him. It made him feel wrong. Harry breathed, opening his mouth to respond but stilling when Scorpius stepped forward, giving him a hug.

In the years they’d known each other, they’d never touched more than a few hand brushes. They’d shaken hands, touched when handing papers back or forth but it had never been more than this. The feeling of Scorpius’ body, solid and warm against Harry’s, had Harry’s heart pounding in overtime. How was he supposed to even breathe when Scorpius was hugging him?

Harry needed to go on a date or let his friends set him up with somebody. Wanting Scorpius so badly was starting to hurt Harry too much.

After a moment, they pulled away slowly. They were still close as Harry bit his lower lip, not even thinking about what he was doing before he was reaching up. He carefully pushed a strand of hair off Scorpius’ forehead, brushing it back over his ear. The sound of Scorpius drawing in a sharp breath had Harry wanting to lean forward, to swallow that sound, to kiss any other sound he’d make when they touched.

“We’re friends. Just don’t tell your father. He’d disown you,” Harry teased, sounding too breathless and he hoped Scorpius didn’t notice.

Scorpius just smirked. “It would be worth it,” he told Harry, reaching up as well. He just brushed his knuckles across Harry’s cheek, looking into his eyes. What was the emotion in Scorpius’ eyes? Harry would give all the Galleons in his Gringotts vault to know. “See you, Harry.”

Without another word, Scorpius turned, heading back inside. Harry stared at the door for quite a few seconds after it had closed, wondering what had just happened.

_2023._

The knock at the door had Harry looking up since his door wasn’t closed at all. He was surprised to find Scorpius Malfoy standing in the doorway, looking rather uncomfortable to be there. He’d known Scorpius since he was younger, when Scorpius, Albus and Rose had all been sorted into Ravenclaw and become fast friends. When he’d started teaching at Hogwarts during their fifth year, all three had been incredibly excited which had been a relief for Harry, worried of embarrassing his son.

Harry hadn’t spent as much time with Scorpius as his wife had but he knew him well enough to know that something was bothering his student. 

“Come in,” Harry said, gesturing for Scorpius to come in and sit down on the desk in front of him. Scorpius did enter into the room but he hesitated in front of the desk, handing over a piece of parchment.

Harry raised his eyebrow, taking it and unfolding it to read.

The letter was short, full of words that Harry imagined Draco found encouraging but he had a feeling were just serving to make Scorpius feel more stressed than he already was about his exams at the end of the school year. When he’d read the words, Harry handed the letter back and Scorpius folded it up to put in his robe pocket.

“You’re not in danger of failing. You haven’t failed any of your exams so far,” Harry said, curious what Draco was trying to get across with his message.

Scorpius shrugged his shoulders. “My mother sent a message and a bag of sweets along with hers. This is just my father’s way. If it’s not an E, it’s failing. Everything else, I’m sure I’ll pass with flying colors. Rose is helping with my potions and I was hoping you’d help make sure I get an E on my Defense Against the Dark Arts NEWT.”

Harry considered the question. He could. Harry had plenty of time and he always liked to help students and make sure they were getting the grades they wanted. “Does the career you want in the future involve Defense Against the Dark Arts?”

Scorpius grinned, shaking his head immediately. “Hell no. No offense, of course, Professor, I know you were an Auror but I have no interest in that. I’d just like to make my father proud and get the best grade I can.”

“As long as you’re doing it for yourself, I’ll help tutor you. Give me a few days to look over your previous work and I’ll put together what we can study,” Harry told him, expecting Scorpius to leave since he’d gotten the answer that he wanted.

Instead, Scorpius hesitated before going to sit down on the desk that Harry had gestured to before. “Was I interrupting something?”

Harry shook his head, picking up the novel that he’d been reading, showing the cover to Scorpius. Hermione had recommended the Sherlock Holmes series, something he’d never read as a child but she had apparently loved. Scorpius leaned forward to look at the cover, raising his eyebrows and wrinkling his nose in a way that made Harry laugh. “One would think I would get tired of murder mysteries by now but it’s more fun when it’s not happening to me,” Harry said, putting a scrap of paper between the pages and setting the book down on the desk. 

“I’ve never read a Muggle book,” Scorpius responded, tapping his fingers against the desk as he leaned against it.

Although it wasn’t a surprise considering Scorpius was a member of a Pureblood family, it still always dismayed Harry to hear. He thought all of the students should be required to take Muggle Studies just because some of the information was so important. Opening up his desk drawer, he took out the previous book in the series that he’d just finished a week ago. He held it out, levitating it towards Scorpius and nodding. “Here. Provided you have time with your NEWT studying, you should give it a try. It’s pretty good.”

Scorpius took the book, turning it over in his hands a few times before nodding. “I will. It’ll be a nice break from studying magic. I’ve enjoyed the murder mysteries that I’ve read before.”

“The ones you’ve read aren’t like Muggle ones,” Harry warned but Scorpius didn’t look put off by the knowledge.

In fact, his eyes were rather warm as he looked at Harry. “I know. I’ll give it a chance. I’m not anti-Muggle, you know,” Scorpius said, no real offense in his tone as he spoke which was a relief because Harry hadn’t wanted to offend him at all.

Because the truth was, Harry had already known that. Scorpius wasn’t like that, most Slytherins weren’t, which was something it had taken Harry years to learn. 

“I know,” Harry said and Scorpius smiled, seeming to hear the sincerity in Harry’s tone. “I just worry it might bore you a little if you’re expecting something like a wizarding murder mystery.”

Scorpius shook his head. “I don’t mind boring sometimes, Professor,” he said. There was something in his tone that Harry couldn’t quite place as he stood up, putting the Sherlock Holmes book in his pocket, next to the letter from his father. “I have to go study. I’ll see you tomorrow for class?”

Harry nodded, giving Scorpius a small wave, still trying to figure out exactly what that tone was, knowing he’d heard it from others before. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Harry still thought about Scorpius even as he picked up the novel, trying to concentrate on reading.


	4. Chapter 4

_2029._

As time passed, Harry became convinced that he’d done something truly awful in a past life to deserve this fate. He’d helped defeat Voldemort, gone through a nasty divorce, lost more people than he cared to count, and he’d thought his life after those events would be easy. It was anything but. As wedding preparations came quicker than ever, Harry and Scorpius spent more time together and Harry felt his heart grow fonder.

He knew he should simply stop seeing Scorpius. There was no reason for Harry to be so involved in the preparations, helping Astoria arrange the chairs just so and Scorpius and Ryan make the table centerpieces. The more time he spent with Scorpius, the harder it was to watch him with Ryan. The couple was happy, any fool could see that. But were they in love? Harry was worried he was biased.

Harry had learned more about astrology than he’d ever cared to know. He didn’t love the subject, never had, but he loved the way Scorpius talked about it. He loved the way Scorpius talked about anything, the way his eyes seemed to sparkle like the stars he was talking about, the way he gestured like his excitement couldn’t be continued with just his voice but he had to add his hands to the mix. 

Maybe once Scorpius was married and out of Harry’s life it would be easier. Just a short month after the wedding, Harry would be going back to Hogwarts and that was always a good source of distraction. Until then, maybe Harry had always been a bit masochistic because he continued helping with the wedding planning, continued staring longingly at Scorpius and looking away every time the couple kissed.

Maybe it was always eventually going to reach a breaking point. Maybe Harry should’ve seen something coming but then, he’d never been the most observant. Scorpius was over for one of their late-night preparations. Nearly everything was done, the altar set up with chairs facing it, bright green ribbons tied to the backs of them. Scorpius had just grinned when asked about his wedding colors, saying really, he’d wanted to have his colors include red to annoy his father but he hadn’t wanted to push him after deciding to get married at the Potter estate.

“I didn’t realize how good the moon looks until you started dragging me out here every other night to look at it,” Harry said, voice filled with amusement as he sat in one of the chairs, sipping on his tea.

Scorpius was flitting around him, seeming to not be satisfied with how anything looked. It made Harry want to ask whether this was what he really wanted but he was terrified of such a thing. What would he say if Scorpius said it was what he wanted? Or worse, what would he say if it wasn’t? 

“The way it looks full for so many days? I love your gardens. I’m so glad that you said yes to me getting married out here. It’s perfect. Far enough away from the city that the sky is visible here. I could stay here forever… come out here every night and drink tea and look at the stars,” Scorpius said and was that a shy look he was sending Harry over his own tea cup? Why did that look, those words, make him want Scorpius so damn much?

“The wedding is almost here but you know you’re welcome any time. You’ll likely want to spend all your time with your new husband, though. It’s a nice time, right after getting married. You’re full of so much joy and love that you want to spend every second together,” Harry said, remembering that blissful honeymoon period with his ex-wife. Even after all this time, he could still remember it vividly. If that feeling had lasted forever, he had a feeling they never would’ve divorced.

Scorpius looked contemplative, taking a drink of his tea before setting it down so he could adjust one of the covers draped over a chair. They’d all been magically straightened by his mother, every wrinkle pressed out of it and every cover exactly even. Harry had never been this fussy over wedding details. He and Ginny had flirted with the idea of eloping but they’d ended up letting Molly plan most of the wedding, wanting to make her happy.

Maybe they should’ve gotten married under the full moon like Scorpius had said. Harry honestly didn’t know what phase the moon had been in although they’d married mid-afternoon anyway. Nothing likely would’ve saved their marriage, not if their children or their past couldn’t.

“I suppose,” Scorpius finally said, running his fingers slowly down one of the chair covers, as if trying to think of what else he’d like to say. Harry could only watch him, his own fingers itching to reach out for him. “I hope it’s like that. I wonder sometimes. I know we haven’t been together long. But sometimes that doesn’t matter, right? My father didn’t even know my mother when they were at school but they’re still together after getting married and having me so shortly after Hogwarts.”

Harry nodded and he felt like in another situation, he might have felt like a professor still advising a student. Right now, though, he felt like he was looking at a man he could be dating. Scorpius was an adult, one that Harry wanted, one that Harry thought deserved everything. _He_ wanted that honeymoon period with Scorpius, to be so desperately in love with him. To get married? Harry didn’t know about that. Not right now but… Scorpius meant something to him.

Harry looked down at his tea, sliding his thumb along the rim of his mug, swallowing hard and trying to think of what to say. It was surprising how often Scorpius struck him speechless, although maybe that had something to do with the fact that he didn’t want to scare Scorpius off. What would happen if he told Scorpius his feelings and everybody else found out? Albus would be embarrassed, his ex-wife, their family, all of it would be ruined. 

Would it be worth it? If Scorpius wanted him back it would. But Harry couldn’t be sure of that. Scorpius was getting married. Harry couldn’t risk that.

When the silence stretched, Scorpius cleared his throat, his cheeks pink in the light of the moon. “I should go. I just keep ruining everything my parents have already done to set up. I appreciate you letting me come over so many nights and…” Scorpius breathed out, shaking his head as Harry stood up, coming closer to him.

Was it the moonlight or the blush that Scorpius was wearing or the fact that Harry had been wanting it so long? 

Harry walked to him and Scorpius stayed, until they were nearly toe to toe. Scorpius swallowed hard, looking straight into Harry’s eyes and Harry could never get enough of how his eyes seemed to sparkle. “It’s been my pleasure,” Harry breathed. And it had been.

They’d talked about everything and nothing, grown closer, got to know each other. And Harry couldn’t breathe as they looked at each other.

He had no idea who moved, just that suddenly their lips and bodies were pressed together. Scorpius’ arms came up to wrap around Harry’s neck, fingers tangling in his hair as Harry’s arms circled his waist. It was too much and not enough and Harry couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. All that mattered in his life right now was Scorpius in his arms, Scorpius’ mouth on his. 

Their lips parted, Scorpius’ tongue sliding into his mouth and he knew he wanted this man in front of him for a long time. Harry could taste him, feel him, breathe him, right there in the moonlight.

Maybe it was the thought of moonlight that made him realize and he gasped, pulling back. He was still panting as he stared at Scorpius, taking in the sight of his swollen lips, his bright eyes, his fumbling hands as he tried to keep his hold on Harry.

Harry could only take a few more steps back, licking his lips and regretting it because he could swear he tasted Scorpius on them. “I…”

“You?” Scorpius asked, voice shaking and Harry wanted to reach out and feel if his body was trembling as well. He clenched his hands into fists to avoid it.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that,” Harry said, the words sounding wrong in his mouth. They weren’t what he meant. He wasn’t sorry about the kiss. Although, he was kind of sorry about the words when Scorpius’s eyes went wide, his lips parting. 

Scorpius blinked a few times before he was pressing his lips together, looking first to one side then the other, as if he was looking for a response. Did he feel the way that Harry felt when he was trying to talk? After a moment, Scorpius nodded, his body straightening. “Of course. Don’t apologize. It’s easy to get lost in the moment. The moon like this is romantic,” Scorpius said although it didn’t sound like he meant it.

Harry wanted to reach out so badly it was a physical ache. He wanted him. “It is. Your wedding is going to look beautiful.”

“Thank you. Like I said, I should go. I’ll see you tomorrow. We’ll all be over for the rehearsal,” Scorpius said.

Without waiting for a response, Scorpius turned, walking away. Harry watched him the entire time but the other man didn’t look back. 

It hurt. The entire situation hurt and Harry knew he’d handled it entirely the wrong way. He could still feel Scorpius’ body against his and he could still taste him. But he couldn’t. They couldn’t. Scorpius was getting married in two days. 

They couldn’t.

**

Scorpius didn’t want to see Harry. He shouldn’t have kissed him, or let Harry kiss him, honestly, he had no idea who initiated the kiss the previous night. It had been perfect, wonderful, everything that he’d ever wanted. Until, Harry had pulled away and made it clear that it had been a mistake. Scorpius had thought he could feel the connection, thought that Harry was finally seeing what Scorpius had seen so long ago. 

But it wasn’t meant to be. It was fine. Scorpius was getting married and they’d be going to the Potter estate this evening to make sure everything was in place.

It was fine. Scorpius could pretend everything was fine as he tangled his fingers with his fiancé’s as they walked up the front path to the home. His parents had arrived several minutes ago, as had Albus, and were undoubtedly making small talk with Harry around the back. 

“Are you alright?” Ryan asked, voice soft as he looked over at Scorpius. “You’ve been quiet today.”

Scorpius looked over and he knew it was the truth. He’d been quiet ever since the two had woken up at Malfoy Manor earlier, where they’d been staying in the week leading up to the wedding. Draco and Astoria had insisted, saying they had missed Scorpius and wanted to get to know Ryan. It was just unfortunate that Scorpius was fairly certain they hadn’t gotten to know Ryan much. Ryan was constantly wanting to do things, wanting to get to know the country he’d agreed to live in, wanting to go on adventures.

Which was fine but Scorpius also wanted to find a place where they could settle on their own. While he still wanted to have adventures in his life, he wanted them to have a home. They were getting married. Wasn’t the next step finding somewhere they could have a home permanently? 

Scorpius knew he’d inherit the Manor when his parents passed but even if he chose to live there after that, they needed a place to live in the meantime. And he wasn’t even sure that was a place he wanted to be. His childhood home did have a history that he didn’t appreciate.

“I’m fine. Just getting pre-wedding nerves,” Scorpius responded, squeezing Ryan’s hand and smiling over at him.

In just over 24 hours, they’d be husbands. Scorpius was ready. He loved Ryan. Ryan was fun, brought out good parts of Scorpius. Their marriage was going to work.

Ryan nodded, not pushing the topic which was also something that Scorpius appreciated. He liked that Ryan let him have his space. That was something that Scorpius needed in his life, somebody who knew him well enough to know when Scorpius needed to be alone.

The sound of raised voices in the house had Scorpius frowning, his eyebrows drawing together as he looked over at Ryan. Was it his father and Harry? He’d thought the two were getting along, at least as well as could be expected. Scorpius half-jogged up the stairs, wrenching open the door and freezing when he saw what was going on.

“I want to know why you thought you’d be invited to my son’s private wedding,” Draco was saying, wand out and pointed at the two reporters and three photographers standing in the foyer.

Astoria kept trying to get Draco to put down his wand as Harry just stared down the hallway. It was only when Scorpius followed Harry’s gaze that he realized there were several other people there, cameras flashing as they took pictures. 

Albus, standing at his father’s side, breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Scorpius and Ryan. “Okay! The grooms are here,” Albus said loudly, stepping in between Draco and the reporter who he was threatening. Draco clenched his jaw, reluctantly lowering his wand since they all knew he wouldn’t want to risk cursing Albus. “Scorpius, these reporters from Magic Act are trying to say they were invited by the grooms to photograph the set-up. Will you tell them they’re mistaken?”

For a moment, Scorpius was frozen in place, fear and rage filling him as he took in the look of defeat on Harry’s face. All he wanted was to take that look away, to go back and make that look never appear. It was likely his fault that Harry had even opened the door, expecting him or somebody in the wedding party.

“Of course, they weren’t authorized!” Scorpius snapped, letting go of Ryan’s hand, resisting the urge to dig for his own wand. He stepped forward as this time Albus moved towards him, obviously preparing to stop any violence from anybody in the house. Harry was looking at him, something that made Scorpius ache in his eyes. “I would never and-”

“I invited them,” Ryan interrupted, resting a hand on Scorpius’ arm as he gave a nod to one of the photographers who immediately snapped a picture.

Scorpius felt like he was about to burst into flames and he wondered if there was actual smoke coming out of his ears. Everybody had turned to look at them except Harry, who stared resolutely down the hallway at the photographer _still_ taking pictures of his house. “You did what?” Scorpius breathed, his entire body trembling as he wrenched his arm away from his fiancé.

Ryan looked at Scorpius, obviously confused by his outrage. “Of course, I did. We’re getting married and they’re very interested in you and the fact that you’re getting married at _the_ Harry Potter’s home. I told you it was a big deal.”

Scorpius could barely even hear his words through the ringing in his ears, anger and embarrassment warring in him. He couldn’t believe he’d let this happen and he knew everybody was judging them right then, judging him. His parents and Albus looked disappointed while Harry still resolutely refused to look at him at all. 

“Alright,” Albus said after a moment of silence, clearing his throat. “Everybody from Magic Act out. You wanted us to wait for the grooms and we have. No matter if one of them invited you, the homeowner wants you out, right, Dad?”

Finally, Harry jolted into action, nodding his head although there was something still so disappointed in his eyes. Scorpius didn’t want to have to see that expression again. “Right. I’m sorry if you wish to have the publicity but it will have to be during the actual wedding instead of in my home,” Harry said, letting out a breath.

Scorpius took a step towards Harry, finally drawing his attention and Scorpius realized that Harry wasn’t disappointed. He felt betrayed and the disappointment Scorpius felt in himself and his fiancé was nearly unbearable. “Harry, I-”

“It’s fine,” Harry mumbled and he was back to refusing to look at Scorpius. Instead, he turned and they all watched as the reporters reluctantly all took their leave. Astoria and Draco were talking quietly to each other, Albus had his arms crossed so tight over his chest that it looked like it hurt, and Ryan had his jaw set, looking angry.

When the reporters had left, Harry nodded, his shoulders hunching slightly as he pushed his hands into his pockets. “I actually have a few things I have to read. You can handle the wedding preparations,” he said and Scorpius wanted to apologize. He had to apologize because he was the one who had done this.

Without another word, Harry headed out of the room and Albus glanced shortly at Scorpius before following him.

“If you’ll excuse us,” Scorpius told his parents, grabbing Ryan’s arm and tugging him towards the door.

Ryan followed him and it annoyed Scorpius how quiet he was, how he was looking at Scorpius like he was in the wrong. They walked to the side of the house, until Scorpius could yell at him in peace and then he turned to face his fiancé. Once he looked in Ryan’s eyes, though, he had no idea what he wanted to say. There didn’t seem to be anything to say to accurately describe his emotions.

“Why the hell are you so upset, anyway? We’re having photographers at our wedding and they’re interested,” Ryan said, taking a few steps back so they could look at each other. 

Scorpius’ jaw dropped, clenching his hands into fists so he wouldn’t do something stupid like curse his fiancé. “Are you _joking_? I told you that all Harry wanted was something normal! You had no right to invite people into his home just because we’re getting married in his gardens! Our photographer is a friend, somebody we know and who we trust, not some random tabloid vultures.”

“You’re being a bit dramatic, aren’t you? Just because they work for a magazine doesn’t mean they have negative intentions,” Ryan argued and Scorpius was just about to respond when Ryan continued. “And why are you so damn defensive of him, anyway? He’s an adult. He can handle himself and it’s not going to kill him to have some photographers there when he agreed to let us marry there!”

Scorpius saw red, his jaw clenching as he tried to see if Ryan was just saying that. Deep down, he knew that Ryan probably had a point about Scorpius being so defensive of Harry. It was the truth that Scorpius cared about Harry more than he should. But damn it, that didn’t mean that Ryan had any right to do what he did.

“Because he’s the father of my best friend and is a kind, generous person who let us get married at his home even though he didn’t have to? And then it all backfired on him when you invited the media there!” Scorpius yelled, not sure he’d ever been so angry before. 

Ryan’s eyes went wide as he shook his head. There was only silence for a few moments as Ryan looked over, in the direction of everything already set up for their wedding. They were supposed to be rehearsing today and getting married tomorrow and Scorpius just felt sick.

“I’m not going to stand here while you yell at me. I’ll see you later,” Ryan said, stalking away. 

Scorpius felt like he should follow him but he couldn’t even imagine it. Instead, he headed back towards the house, intent on apologizing to Harry. It was his fault that this had happened, even if he would never have agreed to Ryan inviting any photographers into the house.

Before he could reach the front door, Astoria and Draco came out, Astoria immediately moving towards him to loop her arm through his. “Come on. Your father and I are going to come out early tomorrow to make sure everything is in place. We won’t be doing an official rehearsal.”

“Okay. I have to go apologize to him, though,” Scorpius said, trying to pull his arm away from his mother. She had a surprisingly tight grip on him, though, and he was careful not to hurt her or be too rough with his motions.

“Albus is talking to him,” Astoria said, patting his arm gently and glancing over at Draco, who was walking silently next to them. Scorpius followed her gaze, wondering what his father was thinking about everything. It wasn’t like Draco to be so silent. He was normally the first to offer his opinion on anything and everything. Now, though, he simply stared straight ahead, just walking with them towards the gate where they could Apparate away. 

Although Scorpius knew Harry was in good hands with Albus, he couldn’t help but want to go back and talk to him anyway. It made him sick to think that Harry might consider for even a moment that Scorpius had known what was going on. Harry knew him better than that, right?

“Do you want to talk about what happened?” Astoria asked when Scorpius didn’t say anything.

Did he want to talk about Ryan? No. This felt like such a betrayal of trust but Ryan hadn’t even realized something was wrong. Maybe Scorpius _was_ blinded by how he felt about Harry. Especially after that kiss, he’d so badly wanted something with Harry. Maybe he was overreacting about this all. 

It didn’t feel like it but… maybe.

“No. I think it was a misunderstanding. Tomorrow we’re getting married and it will be fine,” Scorpius said, ignoring the pain he felt in his chest at the words. At his side, he could feel his father turn to look at him but Scorpius stared resolutely ahead, not willing to get into this.

Nothing was going to change.

**

Harry stared out the window at the setting sun, knowing he needed to pull himself together. In less than a full day, witches and wizards would be coming to his gardens to watch Scorpius and Ryan get married. He should try to sleep, knowing he’d be up late for the wedding but he knew he wouldn’t sleep well. All he’d been thinking about was the confrontation, the vehemence in Scorpius’ voice as he’d insisted that he’d never give anybody permission to come in like that.

Although he’d had a few momentary doubts when the reporters had insisted they had permission from the grooms, he should’ve known Scorpius would never do such a thing. Harry cared about Scorpius and Scorpius cared about him back.

Just maybe not the way that Harry knew he should care about Scorpius and Scorpius didn’t care about him back the way Harry wanted him to.

But Harry knew he shouldn’t want Scorpius to care about him like that. Scorpius was going to get married and be with somebody who didn’t still wake up from nightmares in a cold sweat sometimes from his own past. Scorpius was going to be happy. Scorpius’ happiness was all that Harry really cared about.

The sound of a knock had Harry sighing, wondering if his son had come back, maybe bringing reinforcements in terms of James or Lily. Albus hadn’t seemed convinced when Harry had insisted he was fine but he’d eventually gone, telling Harry that Scorpius and his friends were gathering for some drinks and games, not wanting anything too strenuous the night before the wedding.

Harry moved towards the door, opening it and stilling when he saw Scorpius standing there. He was supposed to be with his friends.

“What are you doing here?” Harry asked, not meaning for the words to sound as confrontational as they did.

Scorpius let out a breath, looking away from Harry and reaching up to rub the back of his neck. “I came to apologize for Ryan. I can’t believe he would do such a thing and I wanted you to know I would never have agreed to something like that,” Scorpius told him solemnly. There was something so genuine in his tone, sparkling in his eyes that Harry felt himself melting a little, a lot of his hurt fading away.

“It’s alright. It’s not that awful. A photographer got a few pictures of my foyer. There are worse things in the world,” Harry said, lifting his shoulder in a casual shrug.

Scorpius’ lips twitched into what could be a smile but Harry knew him enough to see there was no happiness in it. The cynical expression made something ache in Harry’s chest. “It is a big deal. It’s a big deal to you which makes it a big deal to me,” Scorpius said quietly and Harry’s breath caught at the words. What did he even mean? “Can I come in?”

Harry let out his breath before he nodded, stepping back and Scorpius moved into the house. Harry didn’t even know what to say as he headed towards the living room, hearing the quiet footsteps as Scorpius followed him. When they were in the room, Harry glanced over, seeing Scorpius staring at the opened bottle of firewhiskey on the coffee table. “I’m an adult. I can drink,” Harry said, his voice soft, a little sarcastic since he hadn’t even bothered to pour himself a glass yet.

Scorpius nodded, sitting down on the couch and seeming to think about what he was doing, what he wanted to say. When Scorpius glanced up at Harry, Harry hated how those eyes made him feel. He hadn’t felt like this with anybody ever. It reminded him of falling in love with Ginny and there had been passion there, so much love, but it wasn’t this romantic, sexual love that he could already feel towards Scorpius.

Harry really did feel like the worst and he sat down on the couch next to Scorpius, grabbing the firewhiskey but he was just staring at it instead of drinking it. 

“I’ll do whatever I have to do to keep the pictures from being put all over the place. I’ll go curse the photographer if I have to,” Scorpius said but Harry could see they both knew it was too late.

As soon as those pictures were taken, it had been too late. And the journalists would probably have celebrations considering the confrontation that had taken place.

Harry sighed, avoiding looking over at Scorpius as he put the bottle back down, leaning against the armrest so he was just a few more inches away from Scorpius. “I’m not upset about the photos, Scorpius. This isn’t the first time somebody who should’ve been trustworthy has sold access to me before.”

It was only because Harry was looking so closely that he saw Scorpius’ hand twitch in his lap and he wondered if Scorpius was about to reach out for him. He wondered what he would’ve done if Scorpius had reached out for him. No, that was pointless. He would meet him in the middle. 

“What is it about then?” Scorpius asked, his eyes tracing across Harry’s features and Harry wondered what he saw. The truth was, part of what was bothering him was that he didn’t want Scorpius to get married. For at least a few weeks now but especially since that kiss. “Is it about the kiss?”

Harry jerked his head to meet Scorpius’ gaze, wondering if he’d been able to read his thoughts or whether that was just written across his face. Shaking his head, he stood up, wanting to walk away but he didn’t know where to go. He knew that Scorpius would follow him and so he turned, looking at Scorpius when he stood up as well. “Scorpius, we can’t talk about that. It shouldn’t have happened. You’re getting married. You’re my son’s age. I was your professor at Hogwarts.”

They all sounded like excuses to Harry’s ears when Scorpius was looking up at him, lips parted, stars dancing in his eyes. 

“I don’t care,” Scorpius breathed.

This time it was Scorpius who moved first. Harry caught him as Scorpius threw himself at him and Harry could only breathe a sigh of relief, having thought he wouldn’t get a chance to kiss him like this again. This was everything he wanted, everything he needed.

Scorpius was everything he needed; consequences be damned. Who cared about consequences when it felt so right to have their hands all over each other, to feel the press of Scorpius’ mouth all over his body as they made their way to Harry’s bed? They touched and kissed with desperation, both of them breathless. Considering their situation and Harry’s excuses, it should’ve felt wrong. Scorpius still had a ring on his finger.

But it only felt right. 

They laid together after, a mess of limbs and sweat soaked skin. Harry breathed carefully, thumb sliding gently along Scorpius’ cheek as he looked at him. He didn’t want to break the silence and it seemed neither did Scorpius.

Scorpius leaned in, lips soft against Harry’s for a long moment before he curled up against him. Harry simply made himself comfortable, hanging onto him and closing his eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

_2024._

Harry knew he had to finish packing his things and get home, knew that even if he didn’t want to see his wife that his daughter would be expecting him home for dinner. Even through all of his and Ginny’s turmoil, he had never wanted to disappoint his children. One more year had come and gone and Harry hoped he had done a good job thus far. 

The sound of a knock on his open office door had him looking up, expecting one of his coworkers. Most of the other professors had left by now, gone as soon as all of the students had left, but he knew a few were still around. 

Instead, Scorpius Malfoy stood there, a small smile on his face. Harry knew Scorpius had left the school, along with the rest of his graduating class, so he had no idea what he was doing there.

“Missed Hogwarts already?” Harry asked teasingly, gesturing for Scorpius to come in and sit down. Most of the desks had been pushed to the side but there were still a few chairs around.

Scorpius came into the classroom, looking around with that same smile that Harry couldn’t identify. Gone were the posters and devices Harry normally had on the walls, all of the books were packed up. “It looks so… different here with everything taken down.”

“It does. But at the beginning of the school year, everything will be put back into place,” Harry said. He’d had the same thought when he’d first come a few years ago in August to decorate the classroom. He’d been in awe, looking around and wondering what he was supposed to do with it. As time had gone on, Harry had learned what worked, at least he hoped, and he knew he still had time. 

Scorpius nodded, looking thoughtful as he bit his lower lip for a moment. “I wanted to say goodbye before I leave.”

Harry frowned, eyebrows drawing together as he observed the obviously nervous boy in front of him. “You already did that,” Harry pointed out.

Scorpius laughed, making himself more comfortable in the chair and Harry was struck as the light came in through the window. Because maybe for the first time to Harry, Scorpius didn’t look like a boy. His former student was grown-up and… stunning, wearing an easy smile. It made something fill Harry’s chest, something he didn’t want to admit to. 

“I suppose you’re right. I actually came to talk to you,” Scorpius admitted, tilting his head to the side, hesitating only a few moments before he continued. “I tried to convince Albus to come with me to America but he wouldn’t come.”

“I’m sorry if you’re disappointed but I can’t say I’m sorry he’s not going. Why are you telling me this, though?” Harry asked, wondering if Albus had changed his mind. He and Ginny knew that Albus could do what he wanted but he knew they’d both be upset if Albus chose to move out of the country for an extended length of time. 

Scorpius looked down at the floor, scuffing his toe and Harry told himself he shouldn’t panic. He knew how dramatic teenagers could be. “I think Albus is happy to stay but I… also think he’s concerned about you and Mrs. Potter. I think that’s partly why he won’t go.”

Harry looked away, taking a breath as he tried to tell himself that Scorpius might not know what he was talking about. Scorpius was likely right in that Albus wouldn’t have gone anyway but it would break Harry to think that he and Ginny’s marriage had prevented Albus from doing something he wanted to do. When Harry was their age, he was defeating Voldemort and he knew the trauma he and Ginny had gone through was a big part of the reason they had gotten married. 

It would always be worth it to know Albus and the others his age wouldn’t go through that. 

Scorpius shifted uncomfortably as Harry stayed silent because Harry had no idea what he could even say. Should he try to defend himself? It felt like he couldn’t think of anything that would be good enough to say to Scorpius. 

“I wanted to thank you too,” Scorpius said after a few moments, obviously realizing Harry wasn’t going to respond and figuring a subject change was in order. “I know I already did but our tutoring sessions mean a lot to me.”

“You don’t need to thank me. I was more than happy to do it. That’s why I became a professor,” Harry assured him, knowing he would have done it for any student who had come to ask it of him.

Although, he might not have enjoyed the extra lessons as much as he had with Scorpius. There was something about the younger man that felt like they were making a good connection.

Scorpius nodded, his smile morphing into something that looked… melancholy, was it? Harry wondered if it was because he was graduated and getting ready to move. Harry couldn’t imagine what an adjustment that would be. “Still. I appreciate it. I’m sure I’ll see you again, Professor Potter.”

“Of course. Good luck in America,” Harry said, watching as Scorpius stood up, hesitating in the middle of the classroom. Harry stayed silent, letting Scorpius decide what he wanted to say but after a few moments, Scorpius just shook his head. 

“Goodbye,” Scorpius murmured, not waiting for a response before he was leaving the room.

Harry watched him until he couldn’t anymore before he turned back to packing his desk, unsure why that encounter left him feeling so unsure.

_2029._

Scorpius was having a hard time breathing as he walked through the doors of Malfoy Manor, playing with his engagement ring with his thumb. He’d been tempted to take it off as he’d sneaked out of Harry’s bed but he hadn’t been able to. He and Ryan had discussed the situation the previous day and Ryan had insisted it was an honest mistake. Scorpius had forgiven him, knowing he was touchy about the Harry situation, and that had been that.

Scorpius hadn’t meant to sleep with Harry and he had no idea how he felt.

On one hand, he had cared for Harry years ago, back when he’d been in seventh year and he was fairly certain those feelings had only grown as the two had gotten to know each other as the wedding had been planned. On the other hand, Scorpius’ wedding was this evening. Everything was set up. Ryan’s family had already flown in from America, along with a few of his friends.

“Good morning. Had a good night?”

Scorpius jumped at the sound of his father’s voice, pressing his hand to his heart and turning to look. Draco was sipping a cup of tea, it looked like, sitting at a chair in the sitting room and Scorpius was reminded of late nights as a teenager. He had to remind himself that he was allowed to stay up all night, anyway. “I did,” Scorpius said tentatively, moving to sit down on the couch in front of his father.

“Your mother wanted to make sure you were alright so I sent an owl last night. Rose responded that you had already left,” Draco said, taking a sip of his tea and looking at Scorpius over the rim of his cup.

There was only curiosity on Draco’s face but Scorpius couldn’t imagine it would stay that way if he knew what Scorpius had really done the previous night. How would Draco react if he knew that Scorpius and Harry had slept together, spent the night together wrapped in each other’s arms? Scorpius had no intention of sharing such a thing with him but… he valued his father’s opinion. 

Scorpius nodded, playing with his fingers as he stared at them. He looked up when a mug was levitated towards him, full of steaming tea. It made Scorpius smile as he took it out of the air and took a drink. “The truth is… there’s something I have to tell you. But I’m not sure… I don’t know how to tell you.”

“You know you can tell me anyway,” Draco told him and Scorpius knew it was the truth.

While he knew others were intimidated by his father, Scorpius never had been. Draco had always been a doting father and Scorpius had always been close to him.

“I… slept with somebody last night,” Scorpius whispered, looking at his tea instead of his father. “It’s somebody that I’ve cared about for a long time, years, honestly. I never knew they were interested. I didn’t- This was the last thing that I’d intended on happening because I know that I’m getting married today. I don’t know what to do because… I don’t think anything can ever come of it. I don’t want to ruin everything but… Dad, I think I love him.”

Draco reached out, resting a hand on Scorpius’ knee as Scorpius had to swallow hard, trying not to get overly emotional. It was the first time he’d admitted, even to himself, that he thought he loved Harry and he was honestly rather terrified. “I’m not going to say that you made the best choice considering your engagement but I’m also not going to judge you. You know that if you slept with him, though, you owe it to yourself to think about whether this marriage is really for the best. If he slept with you, maybe it won’t ruin things the way that you think.”

Scorpius let out a shaky breath, looking down at his father’s hand and sniffling. He supposed his father was right but it didn’t make it any easier. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Why don’t you go take a nap and think about things? You look exhausted and you can never make good choices when you’re so tired. You’re going to want to get some sleep for your wedding tonight, anyway, if it does take place. You can only do what you think is best.”

Scorpius nodded after a moment, knowing that Draco really was right about that. The ceremony was quite a few hours away and Scorpius didn’t want to be exhausted for it. “I will. I could probably use some sleep. Thanks, Dad,” Scorpius muttered. He was somewhat surprised when Draco stood up to hug him but he hugged his father back, wondering if Draco’s reaction would be the same if he knew it was Harry.

He wondered how anybody would react if they knew it was Harry. If they knew it had always been Harry.

**

Harry groaned, pushing his arm over his eyes as he heard the sound of a voice calling him from downstairs. Why? It was still summer. Leave him alone. There was no reason for him to get up this early. Except, he knew that voice and… Harry sat straight up, looking over at the other side of the bed. The covers were rumpled but the bed was cold. Scorpius had left sometime in the night and Harry had no idea when.

He shouldn’t be surprised. Harry knew he shouldn’t be surprised because Scorpius was getting married and he likely figured it was a mistake.

That thought didn’t help how much it hurt. 

Harry looked up as Hermione came in the room, raising her eyebrows when she saw him and he realized it likely wasn’t as early as he’d thought it was. He and Scorpius had gone to bed relatively early but Harry felt reasonably well-rested. Even if his chest was aching. 

“You look awful,” Hermione told him and he tried to school his features, not wanting to have to talk to Hermione about his love problems. Although, honestly, she was likely the best person to try to talk to about this. She’d always given him the best advice.

“I feel awful. Let me get dressed and then we can talk.”

Harry had no idea what Hermione had actually come over for but she didn’t even say anything else about it. Instead, she nodded, smiling as she looked him over one more time, as if trying to read whatever he was going to say on his features. It wouldn’t surprise him if he found out that most of the time, she could.

“I’ll be downstairs,” Hermione told him and Harry could only nod.

He got dressed quickly, going through everything in his mind as he tried to figure things out. He knew he hadn’t imagined that Scorpius had kissed him first. Maybe he’d gotten caught in the moment? It wasn’t like Harry didn’t know that feeling.

When he got downstairs, Hermione had made tea and toast, pushing a plate towards him as he sat down at his table. 

“I wanted to borrow some papers but that can wait. What’s going on?” Hermione asked, picking up her own piece of toast and taking a nibble.

Harry stared at his plate for a moment, wondering how much he wanted to tell her but this was Hermione. She’d been with him through everything, all of his worst decisions. He knew he could tell her everything.

“Harry?”

“I think I’m in love, or falling in love,” Harry mumbled, picking up his toast to take a large bite. 

Hermione nodded, looking contemplatively at him. “That sounds like good news, though, don’t you think? What is it?”

Harry felt his cheeks go pink and he told himself that Hermione wouldn’t judge him. Or, at least, she never would tell him if she was judging him. “It’s… actually with a man.”

“Okay. You know none of us will judge you for that, right?” Hermione asked and Harry smiled slightly. Yes, he knew that. He did have the best friends. He didn’t think that would be any kind of problem for them.

That wasn’t the problem. 

“It’s actually somebody you know,” Harry murmured and he suddenly wished he hadn’t started this conversation. Thinking about Scorpius hurt. Thinking about the fact that Scorpius hadn’t bothered to stay, or wake up him, or talk about things. Even if it had been a mistake, Harry would’ve liked to at least know. It likely would’ve hurt something awful to know that Scorpius thought it was a mistake but at least he could have a reason and know. 

Hermione nodded, finger sliding along the pattern on her teacup. “Well, if it’s Ron, I suppose we can discuss it but I don’t think he’s interested,” Hermione said, her tone teasing as she obviously tried to lighten the mood.

“It’s a former student,” Harry blurted out, not wanting any kind of jokes about it. He knew that Hermione was just trying to make him feel better but he had a feeling nothing would. Not about this situation. Not right now. 

Hermione frowned, setting her cup down and letting out a shaky breath. “I see. Well, that’s not exactly… ideal, as you’ve obviously realized. But…” Then she stopped as Harry stared at her, startingly worried he was going to do something like cry. The last thing he wanted to do right now was cry over Scorpius Malfoy to her. “Harry… please tell me you’re not talking about Scorpius Malfoy.”

Harry stayed silent and he knew that was answer enough. He wasn’t going to try to lie but he knew that Hermione would be able to read him even if he tried.

When her hunch was confirmed, Hermione put her fingers to her eyes, rubbing and sighing. It made him feel like a teenager again. “Harry,” she said, her tone resembling sympathy in a way that made him bristle as she lowered her hand to look at him. “He’s the age of your son. He’s getting married today.”

“I know that,” Harry snapped, unable to control his angry tone because he obviously knew that. “It’s not like I planned on this happening.”

“How long have you been interested in him?”

Harry sighed, shaking his head as he started tapping his fingers nervously against the table without realizing it. “I haven’t completely lost my morals. I’ve only been interested since he’s been back. I didn’t… realize how much he meant to me back then. We… we slept together last night. I don’t know how it happened but he kissed me and we went to bed and it felt wonderful until… he left before I woke up.”

Hermione nodded, seeming to think about it for a moment before she reached out, setting a hand on top of Harry’s. He turned his hand, holding onto hers and she squeezed gently. “I’m so sorry… that likely hurt but perhaps it was for the best. You know I want nothing more than for you to be happy but can a relationship with Scorpius really make you happy? What would Draco have to say about it? Or Astoria? Or Ginny?”

“I don’t care what any of them think,” Harry said, looking down at their hands as he knew their opinions didn’t matter. Scorpius’ did… and Scorpius had left before Harry had woken up.

“What about your children?” Hermione asked and Harry looked up at her again since his children were the best way to get his attention. “What would they think? Or how would people judge them if you started a relationship with Scorpius? You know we want you to be happy but you also have to be realistic.”

Harry knew. Oh, how he knew he should be realistic but it wasn’t that easy. “What if Scorpius and I can make each other happy?”

Hermione squeezed his hand gently again, smiling in a way that was so sad it made Harry want to yell. “Scorpius is getting married today. And, as much as it might hurt to hear, he made his choice by leaving. I’m sorry, Harry. You have to let him get married.”

“I know,” Harry breathed because he did know. While he was defending them sleeping together, he did just want Scorpius to be happy. If his fiancé made him happy then Harry supported their relationship. It didn’t mean the facts didn’t hurt.

“There’s somebody out there for you, Harry. You’ll find love again. It’s just not Scorpius. And if not, you’ll always have us. You can retire with me and Ron.”

Harry laughed quietly, standing up and moving around the table to give her a hug. Hermione met him halfway, just like he knew she would, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you, Hermione. You always know what to say.”

Hermione shrugged, pulling back just enough to look at him. “I know. I always do. Now, I need a few papers to try to finish some research before I have to get ready for the wedding. Will you still attend?”

“I don’t know,” Harry said honestly. Even if he was supportive, he didn’t know if he could sit in the crowd and watch Scorpius and Ryan get married. That might just hurt too much. Scorpius would know why he wasn’t there. In fact, maybe it was the polite thing not to show up. Maybe he should not show up, let Scorpius get married, let him be happy.

But Harry couldn’t help but think he needed to talk to Scorpius. He knew Scorpius was interested the previous night. If they could just talk… Maybe Harry needed closure. It wasn’t fair but nothing about this situation felt fair.

Maybe Harry should just leave well enough alone. After all, Harry had made it clear their first kiss was a mistake. Maybe Scorpius was making it clear this was a mistake.

**

Harry stared at the wall as he tried not to fidget nervously. He knew Scorpius was upstairs with his father and Albus getting ready and it wasn’t making things easy. They’d all been laughing as they’d come in, Albus giving his father a quick hug before heading upstairs. Harry had looked at Scorpius, disappointed that the other man seemed to not be able to look at him.

Then their eyes had met. And for the first time, Harry had been looking for something in Scorpius’ eyes and he’d found it. There was longing and want and a softer emotion, something more tender that had taken Harry’s breath away. He’d been knocked speechless, unable to do more than nod and let them go upstairs to start getting ready.

Now he sat, debating with himself over whether he should just take Hermione’s advice and let Scorpius get married. He glanced up at the knock on the door, annoyed that somebody had ignored the invitation’s request to go to the backyard where the ceremony was set up. Although, it was rather early for guests to start arriving.

Harry stood up to open the door but it was opened before he could get there and he raised his eyebrows when he saw his ex-wife.

They hadn’t seen each other for several weeks and he couldn’t help but think she looked stunning. Albus had said that her and Roger were getting serious and Harry was genuinely happy for her. It helped to look at her in this moment, a woman that he’d been sure he’d spend the rest of his life with, and know he didn’t feel that way about her.

He wanted to be with Scorpius.

“Hermione’s right. You look awful,” Ginny said, looking him up and down, honest in the way that she so often was.

Even in the darkest moments of their marriage, Harry had always begrudgingly appreciated the fact that she said exactly what she thought.

“Thanks,” he said dryly, sitting back down on the couch since she had let herself in and was obviously capable of doing what she wanted in the house. He wondered what exactly Hermione had told her, leaning forward a little. “What are you doing here?”

“I realized I have a box of jewelry in the basement. They were all pieces I wore irregularly and didn’t notice I didn’t have it. I have a moon pendant in there, though. It’s good luck,” Ginny said and Harry looked up, feeling for just a moment like he was caught in some strange dream. There was no way she had really said that, was there? “I’ve worn it to every wedding I’ve been to and every marriage has lasted. Except ours and I didn’t wear it. I figure I’ll give Scorpius and Ryan a little luck.”

A rushing sound filled Harry’s ears as he considered his ex-wife, wondering how she’d always known just what he needed, even when she didn’t. There was no way for her to know how much of a sign it felt like to Harry to hear his ex-wife talk about a lucky moon charm. Except there she was, smiling like she was in on the cosmic joke.

“I think I’m in love with Scorpius,” Harry blurted out, watching the range of emotions pass over Ginny’s face from shock to curiosity to a tender acceptance as she moved to sit down in the armchair across from him. “We slept together last night but he left this morning. I think… I think he loves me back, though.”

Ginny nodded, silent as she studied his features and he wondered just what she was looking for. “Have you told anybody else this? Besides Hermione? Because suddenly my conversation with her from earlier makes a lot more sense.”

Harry shook his head, rubbing his palms against his thighs nervously, wishing he had a glass of whiskey in his hand right now. He wasn’t much of a drinker but this felt like a conversation that needed alcohol. “No. I don’t know… how. Hermione said I should let Scorpius get married and think of our kids and… I’m trying, Ginny. I don’t want to make life hard for them but I… And maybe he doesn’t even feel that way but I…”

As Harry trailed off, unsure what to say, Ginny leaned back in the chair, her eyes still searching over him. He remembered the day of their wedding, Ginny sneaking into his room early in the morning to giggle about her mother going frantic with planning even though everything had been done days ago.

“James hates Roger, you know,” Ginny finally said in a conversational tone that surprised Harry. It took a moment for her words to really get through to him. When her words registered, he looked up sharply, wondering where she was going with this. “And I don’t mean he casually dislikes, he thinks Roger is quite possibly one of the worst people on the planet. Which is entirely unfair and I’m fairly certain is mostly over Quidditch but there it is. When we first divorced, I thought I should make my choices around my future happiness and growing old with somebody and making sure our children loved them. 

“But Roger makes me so happy. I didn’t even realize how much our marriage was lacking until I finally… found somebody new.” Ginny smiled softly, something sweet and tender in her expression that Harry realized had never been there before. He wasn’t the type to have regrets, simply because if he started with his list of regrets he’d never stop, but suddenly he wondered if their marriage had been a mistake. He knew neither would change things because of their kids but… “I’m not going to say that I approve of you pursuing a man so young but why not, Harry? We both deserve to be happy. You deserve to be happy. Don’t sacrifice that for other people the way you’re so accustomed.”

Harry looked away, biting his lip to keep from arguing. During their marriage, Ginny had taught him a lot about being a little selfish but maybe not enough. How could he say he wasn’t self-sacrificing when he’d been prepared to give his life as a teenager? Yet… what if Scorpius could be his happiness? What if he could be Scorpius’?

“Did you love me?” Harry asked finally, swallowing hard as he wondered what he wanted the answer to be. 

Ginny looked away, seeming to need a moment to think about it. Finally, she smiled, shrugging her shoulders. “Yes. I loved you more than anybody else in the world, Harry. You were my best friend for a long time. But I was never in love with you the way we should’ve been when we were married.”

“I feel the same way. And I’m sorry for that. I’m sorry for… everything,” Harry said, knowing she’d know what he was talking about. The way he’d led her on, wanting a family, the way he hadn’t been able to love her, the way their marriage had gone, how unhappy they’d both been all the time.

After a moment, Ginny reached out, grabbing his hand and squeezing. He shifted so he could hold onto her back, hoping they could be friends after this. “I’m sorry too, Harry. Maybe you should take this chance. We’re already so messed up. Don’t we deserve this happiness? Haven’t we suffered enough?”

“I just don’t want to make him suffer because of it,” Harry admitted, his voice so quiet he wasn’t sure Ginny could hear.

Ginny nodded, squeezing his hand once more before standing up. “If he’s the one, it won’t feel like suffering, will it?” 

Harry stood up, surprising even himself as he leaned forward to hug her. They’d probably never be as close as they’d once been. They’d never be best friends. But maybe they could be happy, each of them separately. “Thank you, Ginny. For everything.”

“Well, I’m going to go find my pendant in case a wedding happens but I’d have to say, at least Scorpius never played on a Quidditch team. Our kids are strong, Harry, and they love you. Give them some credit,” Ginny said, standing up. She leaned in to drop a kiss to Harry’s cheek before heading up the stairs and Harry watched her go.

It never failed to surprise him how Ginny could come in like a hurricane, making the most of her time and then leaving without a trace. He waited until he couldn’t hear the sound of her footsteps anymore before going up the stairs.

Anxiousness was hitting him but he persevered, breathing deeply as he knocked on the door of the guest bedroom that Scorpius was in with his father and Harry’s son. 

This was it, Harry knew. This was either the beginning of something or the end. If Scorpius rejected him, he would be happy for Scorpius.

Or at least, he’d pretend to be.

**

Scorpius looked out the window, listening as his father and Albus talked about a Quidditch game. Even though it wasn’t something Scorpius was interested in, most of the time he’d at least try to listen to them. Right now, though, his entire being was focused on Harry. He should’ve stayed so they could talk but he’d been terrified. It was supposed to be his wedding day and he was waking up in bed with the man that he’d like to spend forever with, who wasn’t his fiancé.

The sound of knocking barely registered but Albus opening the door did make him look up. He wished they’d chosen to have a larger wedding party, wishing he could have something to distract him.

Something that wasn’t Harry, looking as gorgeous as ever and so unsure it made Scorpius’ heart race.

“Scorpius,” Harry said quietly, looking at him as if he were the only person in the world. Scorpius could barely breathe, wondering what he was doing there.

They all seemed to be wondering as they stared, Scorpius turning his body to face Harry. 

“Dad, are you okay?” Albus asked, something that could be suspicion in his voice. Scorpius glanced over, pressing his lips together because he had a feeling Albus had known for a while that Scorpius had feelings for his father. It wasn’t something they talked about but it also wasn’t something Scorpius was able to hide very well.

Harry let out a slow breath, one that Scorpius might have missed if he wasn’t looking so closely at him. “I actually… Scorpius, I’d like to… I know you’re getting married but after last night, I need to talk to you.”

Scorpius could only nod, knowing that even if he didn’t want Harry more than anything, he owed the other man an explanation. Maybe Harry was just here to apologize, anyway, wish him the best. That was the likely explanation considering all of the ways a relationship between them could go wrong. But there was something in Harry’s eyes, something that made hope fill Scorpius.

“What happened last night?” Albus asked, looking between the two.

But while Albus hadn’t been told anything, Draco had and the elder Malfoy gasped, his eyes going wide and body tensing.

“You did not sleep with my son, Potter,” Draco said, voice furious in a way that Scorpius wasn’t sure he’d ever heard it before. He’d seen his father angry many times but never truly menacing like this. Albus was looking between them, Harry’s cheeks were pink, and Scorpius regretted telling his father about the previous night. 

“Dad, please,” Scorpius muttered, embarrassed over the fact that his father knew and was apparently angry at Harry over it. This entire situation was already too emotional and he didn’t need his father to cause a scene in addition to the rest of it.

Draco looked over at Scorpius, his gaze just barely softening as they looked at each other, Scorpius trying to plead with his eyes. While he and Harry’s age difference was something they were going to have to come to terms with, he didn’t want Harry to be thinking of him as a child. Being reprimanded by his father wouldn’t help.

“You slept with him, Scorpius?” Draco asked, something like pleading in his tone as he shook his head, obviously stuck between disgust and anger and concern. The emotions were passing like a whirlwind on his face. Scorpius could understand Draco’s reluctance to accept the truth. He couldn’t imagine his reaction if Draco had slept with Albus or Rose, his friends, but he hoped Draco could accept Scorpius’ feelings.

Scorpius let out a breath before nodding, breathing slowly and taking a step closer to Harry, wanting to just have this conversation. If he was going to hear Harry tell him that the previous night had been a mistake, he didn’t want to have to defend him to his father first. “You’re the one who said I should try to talk to him,” Scorpius reminded Draco, hoping that would be enough for now.

Draco’s face shifted back to anger as he threw his hands up in the air with what was obviously exasperation. “I thought you were talking about Albus,” Draco snapped, causing everybody in the room to turn to look at him. “I thought you were worried about ruining your friendship with him.”

Blinking rapidly, Scorpius shook his head, letting out a breath. “No, what? You know Albus is straight.”

“And even if I wasn’t, I have higher standards than Scorpius,” Albus said with a grin, sounding way too cheerful for the entire situation.

Scorpius looked over at Harry but the other man was silent, looking like he was regretting this. The last thing Scorpius wanted was for him to change his mind, walk away. Even if this was just Harry telling him that he couldn’t do this with him anymore, he thought he could use the closure. He’d rather hear what Harry had to say about everything.

His father was talking, saying something about how angry he was over the situation but Scorpius ignored him, tossing the socks that were in his hand aside and heading towards the door.

“Scorpius, you’re getting married,” Draco said through his teeth and Scorpius was sure he was only complaining because it was Harry. 

Scorpius looked over at Harry, breathing deeply and nodding. “I know. I have to talk to Harry first,” Scorpius said quietly, taking a few more steps towards him. “I’m sure you have somewhere private for us to talk.”

Harry’s lips finally twitched up into something close to a smile. “My whole house is private. Come on, though. I have a room you’ve never been that I’d like to show you.”


	6. Chapter 6

_2029._

They were silent as they walked and Harry wished that he could just know what the other man was feeling. Was he angry that Harry was coming to talk to him? Eager to get this over with to go through with the wedding? Harry had wanted to defend himself from Draco when the other man had been speaking but Harry had no defenses. He would probably have cursed first and yelled later if he found out that Draco had slept with one of his children.

They climbed the stairs up to the attic, Scorpius hesitating only a moment before he followed him. Harry had a place in mind, though.

The house had already been built when he and Ginny had bought it. They’d made some alterations, moved some walls, made the nursery bigger and added windows to let in the natural light. The attic had been Ginny’s area. When she’d quit playing Quidditch to work from home, she’d wanted somewhere she was able to work on her articles.

When she’d left, he’d taken out the desk and piles of parchment she’d taken up there. Instead, he’d put his own office furniture up there. His own desk, a comfortable arm chair, bookshelves full to the brim of books. Plus, he’d changed the material of the walls and ceiling.

Scorpius gasped when they reached the top floor, looking up at the glass that made up the attic ceiling. Harry hadn’t spent much time here at night, preferring the sunlight but he had loved listening to the sound of rain. It was relaxing as he read or studied or wrote or whatever it was that he had planned for an evening.

“This is gorgeous,” Scorpius said, reaching a hand up, as if he could touch the grey clouds in the sky. “Is it actually…?”

“It is. Hermione recommended an enchanted ceiling, like Hogwarts’, but I wanted to see the sky. I come up here a lot, especially during the summer,” Harry said, gesturing for Scorpius to come further into the room but he hesitated before sitting down. Now that they were here, he felt like a teenager again, with a crush on somebody with no clue how to ask them out. Closure, he reminded himself. If he only got closure… then that was okay. “It’s nice when it’s raining. I never thought to show you but… I thought you’d like to see it now.”

Scorpius nodded, turning back to Harry and Harry finally noticed the subtle blush on his cheeks. “I’m sorry for leaving this morning. I shouldn’t have. That wasn’t fair… I was afraid. You had told me that our kiss was a mistake and I had no idea what the reaction would be to us sleeping together. Your reaction or anybody else’s,” Scorpius whispered, looking up at the ceiling instead, at the grey skies that were starting to darken as the sun was setting. “I didn’t want to… ruin everything.”

“Honestly, I don’t know what would have happened if you had stayed,” Harry admitted, taking a step towards Scorpius, causing the other man to look back at him. Harry didn’t know what he was doing. He’d probably never in his life known what he was doing but Ginny was right. Didn’t he deserve this shot at happiness, even as Scorpius’ gaze lifted again? “I might have panicked. That’s what… happened after our kiss. You’re engaged, Scorpius. I thought it was only fair to apologize. But you… kissed me yesterday. Didn’t you?”

It took Scorpius so long to answer that Harry was starting to worry he wasn’t going to. He was looking up so Harry couldn’t even try to read any emotions on his face. All he could see was Scorpius chewing on his lower lip, twitching his fingers as if he wasn’t sure what to do, what to say. 

Finally, Scorpius nodded. “I kissed you. I’ve been wanting to kiss you since… I was… at least 17. 16, maybe? 15?” Scorpius laughed but there was nothing humorous about it. He shrugged, reaching up to rub his eyes. “It was obvious, Harry. I feel like so many people must’ve known, even Albus, although he never said anything.”

“I didn’t know,” Harry said and he was glad he hadn’t. If he’d known that Scorpius had a crush on him then things would be vastly different. He would never have tutored him, never have agreed to let him get married at his home, held him at arm’s length. Maybe he should now. But the idea of doing that now made him ache. “When you asked me to tutor you…?”

Scorpius shrugged, shaking his head. “No, that was genuine. I needed the extra help. But staying after and talking to you and getting to know you? Caring about you?” Scorpius sighed, finally going to sit down on one of the armchairs and Harry followed, sitting in one across from it. “It was because I wanted you. When I was younger, just getting to know Albus, it was because you were a hero. That’s the way Albus talked about you. And then you started teaching at Hogwarts and I got to know you.”

It had been wishful thinking that had inspired Harry to put more than one chair in the room. He’d been divorced at the time and his children hadn’t found the attic as cool as he’d hoped they would. They sat up there to humor him a few times but he hadn’t asked again. 

“I was planning on divorcing Ginny already. I wanted to wait until Lily graduated,” Harry said quietly and he felt like he was having trouble breathing, tension thick in the air. 

Scorpius nodded, finally smiling just a little. “It was hard not to know about your marriage problems,” Scorpius said, his tone teasing in a way that made Harry smile even though it probably shouldn’t. “I think everybody did.”

Harry hated that Scorpius was probably right. Maybe it was better to be known about his marital problems than for what he’d done as a teen, things he hadn’t even wanted to do, but it still wasn’t what he wanted. But then, he had a feeling if this happened, if anything happened, he’d be known for being with Scorpius.

“I didn’t even realize it was you at first when you came back,” Harry said and Scorpius tilted his head, looking surprised by the change of subject. But Harry couldn’t handle what felt like small talk anymore. He needed to get this over with. “You were… the most gorgeous person I’ve ever seen. You’re gorgeous anyway, of course, but you just have this happiness, brightness about you. And these past few weeks of getting to know each other, I’ve realized that I want to see you smile like that every day.”

“You snore. That’s why I left. This little detail about you that I never knew,” Scorpius said after a moment and this time Harry was surprised by the different topic of conversation. Scorpius swallowed audibly, fingers tapping against the arm of the chair as he looked at Harry with such brutal honesty. He was so beautiful it made Harry feel a little weak. “Ryan doesn’t snore. Ryan has no real baggage. His sister is lovely and my parents… well, I know they don’t love him but… it’s easy with him. If I get married to him… it will be so easy.”

“It won’t be if you leave him for me,” Harry agreed, the words making him feel sick to his stomach. He hated the words because they were true. He wouldn’t want things differently. He’d learned a long time ago that it was pointless to wish for things to be a different way. But he couldn’t help wish things were different, easier for him and Scorpius.

Slowly, hesitantly, Scorpius leaned forward, his hands on his knees. It took everything in Harry not to lean forward and take his hands but he knew he had to give this time. They couldn’t rush this. They’d been both waiting so long apparently already. Scorpius may have been waiting longer but Harry knew he hadn’t genuinely had feelings for him then.

Although, it did make Harry more unsure thinking about whether Scorpius’ feelings were real now.

“You kissed me back. We went to bed together. Was that… just because you’re attracted to me or?”

Harry stared at the other man, licking his suddenly dry lips and now he really did lean forward. He took both of Scorpius’ hands, tangling their fingers and looking into his eyes, hoping Scorpius could read the sincerity in his own. “I don’t know what the future holds for us, Scorpius but… I want to make you happy and I think you could make me happy. I think…” Harry hesitated, laughing quietly, nervously. “No, I know that I want to be with you. I should’ve told you days ago before your wedding day but I-”

He was cut off as Scorpius leaned forward, kissing him. It was off-center and Harry smiled softly, letting go of one of Scorpius’ hands to cup his cheek. He caressed his skin, tilting his head so he could kiss him properly, feeling like he was flying.

**

Scorpius couldn’t breathe. He didn’t want to pull away, obviously neither did. Both kept surging forward when the other tried to pull away and it thrilled Scorpius to know that he wasn’t alone.

Harry wanted this. Harry wanted _him_. 

They eventually pulled away, just far enough to rest their foreheads together and Scorpius smirked. “We could’ve been doing that for years,” Scorpius whispered.

“No. But for weeks now, yes,” Harry responded and Scorpius tilted his head a little. 

That was fair enough. He had known there was no chance of anything happening while he was underage. Besides, maybe Scorpius hadn’t been ready then. Even if Harry had been attracted to him then, what would have happened? Would they have slept together and gone their separate ways? Would somebody have found out and ruined Harry’s life? 

“I have to… talk to Ryan. Ask… Albus, maybe my parents to help me cancel everything. Nobody needs to know exact details, not until we’re ready but guests are coming and Ryan’s family has flown from America and…” Scorpius watched as Harry hesitated, pulling back a little more even as Scorpius tangled his fingers in Harry’s hair, not wanting him too far.

“I don’t want you to be unhappy. If he makes you happy-”

“He doesn’t,” Scorpius told him firmly. It was maybe an oversimplification of the truth but it was close enough. While he’d been planning on getting married, likely would’ve been happy enough with him, it was nothing compared to this. He didn’t even know what would happen with him and Harry but he knew that just this feeling was so much better than anything Ryan had made him feel.

Just the possibility of being with Harry was worth ruining whatever he might have with Ryan.

Harry nodded, leaning in for one last soft kiss before he pulled away. “We can make this official another time, have a proper date, talk. We have to talk but does this mean…?”

Scorpius didn’t hesitate, knowing exactly what he wanted. And he knew right now, with Harry’s thumb caressing his cheek, with his smile so soft and eyes so full of affection, that Harry wanted the same thing. “I want to be with you. However that happens. Yes, we have to talk and yes, I know that we have so many differences and reasons we might not work but Harry… you’re amazing. You make me happy and I want to do the same for you.”

“I want to be with you too,” Harry said and Scorpius was having a hard time believing this was happening. After everything, after weeks of talking and knowing each other, after their kiss and then their night together… after Scorpius sneaking out this morning, Harry _wanted_ him. 

This could be a disaster.

But Scorpius was fairly certain it could be something wonderful too.

“You know, new relationships that form during a full moon are supposed to be lucky too,” Scorpius said, enjoying the way Harry’s eyes looked when he laughed. 

“Really?” Harry asked and Scorpius always thought he’d have chosen to be with somebody who enjoyed astronomy along with him. 

He’d always imagined himself and a boyfriend, setting up a telescope and comparing star charts. But he found he liked this too. Harry listened to him, cared about what he said, truly fascinated because he knew very little about the topic. Or maybe he was just fascinated because Scorpius was talking. Scorpius felt that way about Harry. 

“Well, not exactly. But I believe it for ours,” Scorpius said with a grin, deciding not to go into the full details of it. It wasn’t that they were unlucky but they’d require work.

Scorpius was willing to put in that work, though. He had a feeling Harry was too. Harry just grinned, leaning forward to capture Scorpius’ lips in a kiss that knocked him breathless once again.

_2034._

It wasn’t a full moon.

Harry loved Scorpius’ passion for Astronomy, had loved and supported him while he had researched magical properties to Jupiter’s moons. But Harry had insisted that it hadn’t been good luck for Scorpius’ last marriage so maybe they didn’t need all of the superstitions for this one. After some consideration, Scorpius had agreed on getting married underneath a new moon, representing new beginnings.

They’d had plenty of new beginnings in the past few years. 

The grey clouds were ominous overhead but neither were concerned. It had been pouring the previous day and Scorpius had just grinned. 

“Don’t you know rain on your wedding day is lucky?” Scorpius had asked where he was sitting with Lily, arranging the last few flower centerpiece jars. 

The wedding preparations had been simple. Neither really wanted a big wedding, liking their privacy and their quiet life together too much to want too many people to invade. Their family and friends were coming for a small ceremony. At first, Harry had wondered if getting married in his gardens was really the best idea considering how close Scorpius had come to getting married to somebody else in them.

Scorpius had reminded him how far in the past that had been. It had been a hard few weeks, cancelling the wedding with only several hours to spare. Ryan had been angry, his family had been annoyed, and the journalists that Ryan had invited into their lives had loved the juicy drama. Scorpius hadn’t shared Harry’s role in Scorpius ending his engagement, preferring to focus on the fact that he didn’t love Ryan the way he should, but it had been easy to assume.

It had been easy for everybody who cared about gossip to see that Scorpius was in love with Harry Potter. While they’d tried to be discreet, dates in private rooms of restaurants and casual walks together, it had been obvious what they were. They hadn’t confirmed it until they’d gotten engaged three years into their relationship, knowing eventually the whole truth would come out.

Harry was just perpetually grateful that the people who had mattered had stood by them. Even Draco, after threatening to curse Harry a billion different ways, had reluctantly accepted how happy that Scorpius was with Harry.

“What was your wedding day like with Mom?” James asked, looking in the mirror to make sure his tie was straight.

Harry glanced over, trying to read his tone but there was just genuine curiosity on his face. He’d been terrified to finally tell his children that he was with Scorpius but they’d all been as accepting as they could be. James might have teased him and Lily might have interrogated him but they’d both assured him they wanted him to be happy.

And he was so happy.

“It was busy,” Harry said honestly, trying to think back as he tried to flatten his hair, knowing it was pointless. “We had a lot of guests, people who we probably didn’t need to invite but we thought we did. It felt like we spent a lot of our time catering to our guests instead of just enjoying it.”

“Is that why you want a quiet wedding with Scorpius?” Lily asked from where she was sitting cross-legged on his bed.

While they’d chosen not to have a large wedding party, they’d still wanted a few select people with them. Harry would have James and Lily standing with him while Scorpius would have Albus and Rose. It already felt like Scorpius was part of the family, even if this was going to change things. They were happy together. That’s what mattered.

Harry shrugged, tilting his head to try to figure out if he was okay with his hair still sticking up the way it was. “Maybe not the only reason but it contributes to it. I already had a huge wedding when I was young and Scorpius didn’t want that anyway, even if his first wedding was planned that way. We just want to enjoy each other and our friends and family.”

Lily and James seemed to understand, both of them falling silent as they simply watched Harry getting ready. Harry enjoyed the silence with his children, grateful to know they accepted this, accepted him. He never wanted to have to choose between them and Scorpius but he should’ve known better than that.

Harry took a deep breath when he was finally ready, eager to get married to the man he’d spent most of his time with the past 5 years. They had the rest of their lives but when it came to his time with Scorpius, it didn’t seem long enough. 

Standing at the altar, looking into Scorpius’ eyes and making promises to him, Harry knew every hardship they’d gone through was worth it. His children were excited at his side and, when he’d glanced at the few guests they’d had, he had noticed his ex-wife wearing a moon pendant as she sat with her own husband.

Once they’d slid rings onto each other’s fingers and kissed for everybody to see, Harry and Scorpius slipped away from a few moments just to themselves. It felt only natural to hide away in the attic, knowing their guests would get ready for the reception, for dancing and drinks and laughing for the rest of the night.

“We’re married,” Scorpius whispered, holding onto Harry’s left hand with his own as they listened to the sound of the rain splattering on the glass roof. The younger man tilted their hands so their simple wedding bands were visible to both of them.

“We are,” Harry agreed, sounding just as in awe as his new husband did. Even with all of their planning and talks and preparations, it still was something of a shock. Maybe Harry still sometimes expected Scorpius to back out, to not want him anymore.

They were both still here, though. 

Scorpius squeezed Harry’s hand, leaning in to press a kiss to his lips. It was softer than the kiss they’d shared during their wedding ceremony, more intimate, something just for them. They pulled back after a few moments and Scorpius grinned.

“I was hoping to find a spider on you, you know,” Scorpius said, making Harry raise his eyebrows because he’d had enough spiders to last a lifetime. Scorpius leaned in for one more quick peck on the lips before continuing. “It’s supposed to be good luck. It generally refers to the wedding dress but it has to count for the grooms as well, right?”

Harry shook his head, reaching up with his free hand to touch Scorpius’ cheek, so in love with him that it almost hurt. Even after five years together, he still felt the way about him as he had on Scorpius’ wedding day, knowing he didn’t want to lose him. 

“I don’t think we need any more luck or superstitions. I think we’re going to be okay,” Harry told him, meaning the words with all of his heart.

A quiet laugh had Harry’s heart skipping a beat as Scorpius nodded, stepping ever closer to Harry. “I think we’re going to be more than okay,” Scorpius agreed.

The two stood for a moment, just cherishing their newly wedding bliss, knowing indeed that they were going to make it work. And after this, they would go and celebrate with their friends.

**Author's Note:**

> This work is part of the HP ScarryFest 2021. The author will be revealed on 31st March 2021.


End file.
